Artemisia stelleriana Mori's Strain - Beach wormwood

Artemisia stelleriana 'Mori's Strain' is a variety of beach wormwood or dusty miller, which forms a creeping tuft and bears beautiful round foliage with a silvery-white colour. Quite hardy, down to -15°C, it keeps its evergreen foliage in regions that are not too cold and in milder areas of the country, it even maintains its superb colour all year round. It blooms in June with small yellow flowers, but it is truly its splendid foliage that is its main attraction. This perennial forms beautiful associations with many flowers.

Beach wormwood is a rhizomatous perennial plant of the Asteraceae family, cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is native to northeastern Asia. 'Mori's Strain' is a cultivar that has a spreading, cushion-like habit, forming a ground cover that reaches a height of 15 to 20 cm maximum with a spread of 40 to 50 cm. The foliage is aromatic, thick, palmately lobed, and dentate. It is evergreen in mild climates. The yellow flowers, appearing in June, are not of great ornamental interest. They are all tubular, gathered in very small heads. The heads themselves are gathered in fine spikes. Do not hesitate to remove the inflorescences: they tire the plant without enhancing its beauty.

'Mori's Strain' wormwood is a plant that prefers a porous, not too dry, and preferably non-calcareous soil. Plant it in full sun, in light and well-drained soil, even sandy soil. It is quite hardy in the conditions it prefers. Like the majority of wormwoods, it does not live long in heavy soil, even well-drained, but under optimal growing conditions, this plant can spread aggressively through rhizomes and self-seeding and occupy large spaces in the garden. A beautiful foliage plant, this wormwood attracts attention at the edge of a flower bed, where it enhances numerous blooms and contrasting foliage, such as those of pink coneflowers, purple-leaved or purple-flowered sedums, blue-flowered agastaches or damask nigellas, and spring bulbs. Also consider using it in a white garden.