wood that does not have live buds.
Plants fill out quickly in a week or two
after pruning. Hedge shears can be
used during the summer to shape
plants as needed and to keep them in
their own space, as well as to remove
flower buds before blooming, to help
maintain the attractive appearance. If
plants fall open in the summer,
shearing back by a third or half will
return them to good form, and soon
after they won’t even look as though
they were pruned. Deadleafing may be
necessary if plants have received too
much moisture.
other maintenance My biggest
problem in the central Ohio area is lack
of hardiness. I have tried it in several
different locations in clients’ gardens
and my own, only to have it live for a
year or two and then be killed over the
winter. Planting in a protected site has
allowed the longest life (3 years) in my
experience. Division of this woody
subshrub is difficult.
related plantS Artemisia ‘Silvera-
do’—I’m not sure on the nomenclature
of this plant, but I love it and use it
anyway. Plants can be cut back by half
at planting to promote fullness.
Shearing back by half when just in bud,
around early to mid-July, and then
shearing off buds when they appear
around the middle of August and again
in the middle of September creates full,
compact (8–10 in. rather than 18–20
in.), nonflowering plants that hold up
well until the end of the season. The
flowering stems are attractive, but if
allowed to develop early in the season,
plants will not be as full as pruned
specimens. The flowering also causes
decline of the plant. Cut off deadheads
to the base of the plant. In hot sum-
mers, plants that have been allowed to
flower may need to be cut back all the
way to fresh basal growth that develops
in August. You could always try for the
best of both worlds: prune in July and
August for full plants, and allow some
flowering in September. I use chicken
grit in the hole and as a mulch when
planting Artemisia ‘Silverado’, to
reduce losses from wet soil.
Artemisia schmidtiana
‘Nana’
silvermound artemisia
compoSitaeFinely cut silvery foliage; insignificant
flower heads
12–18 in. high; 15–18 in. wide
Full sun
Blooms July–August
Zones 3–7
pruning Clumps usually open up in
the center by midsummer, which is a
good time to cut the plant back to the
new basal growth. If you are weak at
heart about cutting back so drastically,
you can do it in phases. Cutting back in
phases is particularly helpful since
silvermound artemisia usually is
located right in the front of the border,
where dramatic pruning is obvious.
You can delay the plants from opening
up by preventing flowering, either by
shearing (plants can be shaped at this
time as well) or pinching when flower
buds are first evident. As with most
silver-foliaged artemisia, silvermound
artemisia’s habit is best maintained if
flowering is prevented entirely.
other maintenance Requires
well-draining, low-fertility soil and
good air circulation to prevent rotting;
tends to rot in high humidity. High
maintenance. I’m not sure how this
plant ever gained so much populari-
ty—I suspect it is simply the good
fortune of being silver. Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana’