Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana'
Common Name: silvermound artemisia
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Leaf: Colorful
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil, Air Pollution
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, very well-draining soils in full sun. Tolerant of drought once established, as well as salt and pollution. Hardy in Zones 3-7.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Artemisia schmidtiana, commonly called silvermound artemisia or dwarf wormwood, is a low-growing, densely mounding, semi-evergreen subshrub native to the Kuril Islands of far northern Japan and Sakhalin Island of far eastern Russia where it can be found on rocky slopes and sandy coastal areas. Mature plants will reach 0.5-1.5' tall and spread slowly by creeping rhizomes to fill a 1-3' wide area. The upright to outwardly spreading stems are well-branched and bear tufts of silvery grey, highly dissected, densely hairy, 1-1.75" long leaves. Numerous small, drooping flower heads emerge from terminal, pyramidal panicles from mid to late summer. The heads are made up of small, yellow flowers and surrounded by woolly, white bracts.
Genus is named for Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, wild animals and hunting.
The specific epithet schmidtiana honors Carl Friedrich Schmidt (1832-1908), Baltic German geologist, paleontologist, and botanist.
The common names of this species refer to its compact growth habit and silvery-grey foliage.
'Nana' is a compact selection of silvermound artemisia that will reach 10-12" tall and spread to fill a 1-2'. Its floral display is typically considered horticulturally insignificant compared to its showy foliage.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Deer and rabbits tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Well-draining border fronts, gravel gardens, rock gardens.