Antennaria dioica Rubra - Mountain Everlasting

Antennaria dioica Rubra, also known as cat's foot, is a small montane perennial groundcover that can withstand anything. Not only is it very hardy and undemanding, it forms a beautiful carpet of evergreen gray-green-silver foliage on top, woolly and white on the underside, which perfectly complements its small, pom-pom-like ruby red flowers. Depending on the climate, it will bloom in spring or summer. Lovely in rock gardens, green roofs, or as a groundcover, it thrives in shallow, even rocky and occasionally dry soil.

Antennaria dioica is a perennial plant of the aster family, native to the mountains of the northern hemisphere. It grows from a creeping rhizomatous stump, which produces slender, prostrate stems bearing rosettes of narrow spatulate to lanceolate dark green-silver leaves on top, with the underside covered in a woolly pubescence. Over time, cat's foot forms a carpet that can cover 1 square metre. Flowering occurs from May to July, depending on the climate, and in the mountains, it can even occur in August. At the time of flowering, strong peduncles measuring 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in height, adorned with tiny leaves applied along their entire length, emerge above the carpet of leaves. Each peduncle carries at its tip a cluster of 3 to 8 pom-pom-like deep purple-red flower heads, which are surmounted by a collar of scale-like bracts with a woolly base. Male plants bear smaller flower heads, while female plants have broader inflorescences with large oval pink bracts. The highly visited flowering by certain butterflies whose larvae feed on the plant is followed by the formation of smooth fruits topped with an egret.

An asset for gardens with thin soil, Antennaria dioica Rubra is one of those plants, like Sedum spectabile or creeping baby's breath, that thrive in spartan conditions. Pair it with grasses and gray-foliaged plants that often, like it, accept these challenging living conditions. You will create an unforgettable scene by combining it with dwarf asters, small grasses like Molinae 'Edith Dudszus,' curry plant (Helichrysum italicum), or Anaphalis triplinervis (Himalayan immortelle). Stunning in rock gardens or along a border in a wild garden, it is also an excellent plant for walls or green roofs.