Artemisia Silver Mound

One of the most beautiful plants you can grow in the drought-tolerant, dry, poor-soil garden, Silver Mound forms a neat little pillow of soft, ferny foliage, gleaming with silvery-gray color all through the worst summer heat. Adding some welcome cool tones to the garden, it complements surrounding plants beautifully and needs no maintenance to keep looking its best month after month!

The finely-cut leaves are dense and layered, forming a neat little mound about 8 inches high and a foot wide. Best in northern gardens, this plant also sports small yellow blooms in summer, but they aren't much to write home about, and the foliage is so thick that it hides them, anyway! The perfect accent for the rock garden, it looks terrific among summer bloomers such as Yarrow and Sedum.

Silver Mound needs very good drainage and full sun, and performs best in sandy, infertile soils. If your garden lacks these conditions, try a few in containers. Color and texture this interesting -- plus tolerance of drought! -- are just too rare to pass up! Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart. Zones 3-7.