Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage)
Grown for its magnificent silver-white foliage, Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage) is a fast-spreading perennial that adds light and contrast to the landscape and combines well with almost everything.
Grown for its magnificent silver-white foliage, Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage) is a fast-spreading perennial that adds light and contrast to the landscape and combines well with almost everything. Typically growing in a bushy clump, its lance-shaped foliage is aromatic when bruised. The leaves, 2-4 in. long (5-10 cm) are white-woolly beneath and nearly glabrous above. Its tiny, yellow-gray flowers are inconspicuous and should be removed as they appear.
- Grows up to 2-3 ft. tall and wide (60-90 cm). This plant may spread aggressively by rhizomes and by self-seeding.
- Thrives in poor to moderately fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Excellent soil drainage is essential. White Sage can die back in heavy, poorly-drained soil.
- Focal point as a single specimen. Fits beautifully in beds and borders of perennial flowers and is a lovely addition to the herb garden or cottage garden.
- Generally pest free. Keep an eye out for powdery mildews. Drought, deer, and rabbit tolerant!
- Cut back to the base of the plant in autumn.
- Remove flower heads as they appear to prevent self-seeding. Use soil barriers to help contain the rhizomatous spread.
- Propagate by division or semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer.
- Native throughout North America from Canada to Mexico.
- Main Artemisia ludoviciana cultivars are 'Silver King' with dense, downy silvery-white foliage; 'Silver Queen' with finely divided, silvery leaves; 'Valerie Finnis' with silvery-gray, sharply cut leaves. It is less aggressive than the others and won the Award of Garden Merit (RHS); 'Silver Frost', a very compact cultivar (up to 18 in. or 45 cm) with finely cut leaves.
Requirements
Hardiness | 4 – 9 |
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Heat Zones | 1 – 9 |
Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
Plant Type | Perennials |
Plant Family | Artemisia |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest | Spring (Mid,Late)Summer (Early,Mid,Late) |
Height | 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm) |
Spread | 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm) |
Spacing | 24″ – 36″ (60cm – 90cm) |
Water Needs | Low |
Maintenance | Average |
Soil Type | Chalk, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Fragrant, Showy |
Native Plants | United States, California, Midwest, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Northeast, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Southeast, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas |
Tolerance | Deer, Drought, Rabbit, Dry Soil |
Attracts | Butterflies |
Garden Uses | Beds and Borders, Patio and Containers, Underplanting Roses and Shrubs |
Garden Styles | Informal and Cottage |