Plant Encyclopedia

Brand:  Benary

Description:

An interesting and beautiful variety producing silver-gray, deeply lobed, fuzzy foliage; grown primarily for foliage, trim flower stems to promote new basal growth; excellent for edging, containers, or massed as groundcover

Ornamental Features

New Look® Dusty Miller's attractive tomentose lobed leaves emerge white in spring, turning silver in colour the rest of the year on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. It features dainty clusters of yellow daisy flowers with gold eyes held atop the stems from early to late summer.

Landscape Attributes

New Look® Dusty Miller is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It has no significant negative characteristics.

New Look® Dusty Miller is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

New Look® Dusty Miller will grow to be about 14 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

New Look® Dusty Miller is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.