Common Name: sagebrush
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 7 to 10
Height: 0.50 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: Flowers not showy
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Colorful, Fragrant, Evergreen
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, very well-draining, sandy or rocky soils in full sun. Intolerant of wide temperature swings, especially inland summer heat. Performs best in a coastal climate. Tolerant of drought, dry soil, and salt spray. Hardy in Zones 8-10.
'David's Choice' offers improved hardiness over the species and can survive winter temperatures down to 0°F (Zone 7). It also reportedly tolerates inland conditions much better than the species. May do best with some protection from afternoon sun when planted inland.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Artemisia pycnocephala, commonly known as dune sagewort, coastal sagewort, beach sagewort, and sandhill sage among others, is a compact, evergreen, shrubby sagebrush species native to rocky or sandy slopes, bluffs, dunes, and beaches on the Pacific coast of the United States from central California north to southern Oregon. Mature plants will reach 1.5-2.5' tall and spread to fill a similar area with a rounded to low mounding or spreading growth habit. Finely divided, grey-green foliage lines the stems which bear 4-8" tall terminal, narrow, panicle-like arrays of small, rounded, composite-type captiula (flowerheads) from late spring into early fall. Each capitulum holds 15-40 individual, minute, yellow florets that attract butterflies and other small insect pollinators. The stems, leaves, and phyllaries (bracts surrounding the capitula) are covered in a velvety layer of hair giving them a silvery appearance. All parts of this plant are aromatic, but less so compared to other species of sagebrush.
Genus is named for Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, wild animals and hunting.
The specific epithet pycnocephala means "with a dense head" in reference to the densely crowded, many-flowered heads of this species.
The common names of this species refer to its preferred habitats.
'David's Choice' is a low-growing selection of dune sagewort that will reach up to 2' tall with a 3' spread. The blooms are generally not considered horticulturally significant and can be sheared back if desired.
Problems
No known pest or disease problems of note. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Coastal garden, rock garden, xeriscaping. Mass to form a ground cover.