Artemisia ludoviciana var albula

Artemisia ludoviciana var albula with silvery white foliage in dry bed
Artemisia ludoviciana var albula

Perennial of the Asteraceae family, Artemisia ludoviciana is native to North America, where it extends from the great central plains to the semi-arid regions of the western continent. The albula variety, the most silvery of the group, naturally grows in dry prairies, open grounds, and well-exposed rocky slopes, on poor and well-drained substrates.

It forms upright and colonizing clumps, reaching 60 to 90 cm in height, developing through stolons and gradually covering large areas. Its main attraction lies in its foliage: the leaves, lanceolate to slightly lobed, are covered with a dense tomentum that gives them an intense and persistent silvery white throughout the season, one of the purest whites one can achieve in a full sun garden.

The capitula, discreet and yellowish, are gathered in narrow panicles. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to September. In cultivation, the flowering often takes a back seat as the silvery foliage dominates the visual effect.

It requires a well-drained soil, poor to moderately fertile, in full exposure. It tolerates drought once established, but its stoloniferous vigor requires monitoring in confined spaces.