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Powis Castle Artemisia

Artemisia (ar-tem-EE-zee-ah)

Family: Asteraceae Unknown Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ is a shrub-like herbaceous perennial in the sunflower family. This cultivar is likely a hybrid between Artemisia arborescens and Artemisia absinthium introduced in 1972 from the National Trusts’ Powis Castle in Wales. This hybrid, selected by British gardener A. J. Hancock in the late 1960's, was propagated to line walls and terraces surrounding the castle and later sold to promote the National Trust gardens. It is noted for its finely textured, silver-gray, aromatic foliage that grows in upright, spreading mounds. In milder climates, foliage remains in leaf year-round. It requires full sun, well-drained soil, and tolerates drought. Plants are prone to rot if conditions are too wet and foliage may also decline during hot, humid summers. This plant rarely blooms, but inconspicuous flowers sometimes appear in late summer. Growth spreads by rhizomes. Individual mounds are about 2 feet wide, but unrestrained rhizome growth can spread mounds to widths of 6 feet. This easily grown plant makes an attractive ground cover for borders, beds, rock gardens, xeriscapes, and urban locations. Its fern-like leaves add color and texture to a landscape to accentuate perennial flowers or ornamental grasses. Quick ID Hints : Bushy mound of silvery, dissected foliage. Leaves silvery-tomentose, finely dissected Flowers yellow in minute, drooping heads More information on Artemisia .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 48 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Agastache 'Blue Fortune' Dianthus chinensis x barbatus Salvia rosmarinus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Gray/Silver
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear; Pinnatifid; Pinnatisect
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Silvery gray fragrant pinnately divided leaves. Alternate, silvery-tomentose, 2-5" long, pinnatifid with 2-4 pinnately divided leaflets ending in slender linear segments.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Dried
Flower form
Cyme; Insignificant
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Yellow, minute, inconspicuous flowers rarely bloom. Cymose drooping heads 1/8 inch diameter.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Play value
Easy to Grow; Fragrance; Textural
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Small Space; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; English Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#rabbit resistant #drought tolerant #fragrant leaves #deer resistant #fall interest #stepping stones #border planting #rock garden #fantz #fall flowers #dry soils tolerant #silver leaves #dried arrangements #garden walls #HS304
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Diseases; Drought; Dry Soil; Foot Traffic; Pollution; Rabbits
Propagation
Division

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.