The Well-Tended Perennial Garden The Essential Guide to Planting and Pruning Techniques, Third Edition

foliage at the base may be necessary.

Do not prune for winter. I have had

plants totally defoliated by larval

feeding in summer.

Artemisia lactiflora
white mugwort
compoSitae

Ornamental creamy white flower heads;
green divided leaves
4–6 ft. high; 3 ft. wide
Full sun or light shade
Blooms August–September
Zones 4–8
pruning Plants provided with sun
and moist soils become surprisingly
large (6 ft. tall) and require staking.
Height and legginess can be controlled
if thinned and pinched or cut back by 4
in., or even by half, depending on how
unmanageable it tends to become, in
late May or early June. Under dry
conditions or poor soil, plants usually
attain a manageable 3 1/2- to 4-ft. height
and require no pruning, thinning, or
staking. In autumn, cut plants down to
basal rosette, which remains fairly
evergreen.
other maintenance Staking is
required in conditions of moist, rich
soil. Divide every 4–5 years. Long-lived.

Artemisia ludoviciana

‘Silver King’

‘Silver King’ artemisia

compoSitae

Woolly, gray, lance-shaped leaves; insignifi-

cant yellow flower heads

2–3 ft. high; wide-spreading clump

Full sun

Blooms August–September

Zones 3–8

pruning If grown for foliar effect

alone, plants should not be allowed to

flower, which can lead to decline.

Plants can be sheared back by half or

two-thirds at the end of May or in

early June to control flopping; they

may benefit from another cut in half

in mid-July. Plants can be selectively

pruned to keep in shape. Plants that

fall over in summer can be sheared

back by a third to half at that time and

will return to good form. Although

the height of ‘Silver King’ artemisia

can be controlled, it is difficult to

control the spread of this plant just

with pruning, and it usually involves

digging out the invasive roots. If

grown for wreath making (which I feel

is this plant’s main attribute), pinch-

ing early in the season will keep

plants fuller and will ensure flower-

ing. Cut stems while in bud before

flowers mature, in early to

Artemisia lactiflora

Guizhou Group

Artemisia ludoviciana

‘Silver King’