Tree Wormwood 'Powis Castle'

Artemisia 'Powis Castle' is one of the finest silvery-foliage plants available to UK gardeners, believed to be a hybrid between Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia arborescens. It forms a large, billowing mound of finely-divided, feathery foliage that is a brilliant shimmering silver. The leaves are deeply aromatic when bruised. While it occasionally produces small, inconspicuous yellow flower heads in late summer, it is almost exclusively grown for its spectacular architectural foliage. Reaching up to 1 metre in height and spread, it provides a superb cool-toned contrast to the hot colours often found in Mediterranean borders, such as those of red salvias or orange kniphofias. It is exceptionally drought-tolerant and thrives in poor, well-drained soils in full sun. In the UK, it is generally hardy but can suffer in heavy, wet clay during winter. To maintain a vigorous and well-shaped plant, it should be cut back hard in early spring to prevent it from becoming overly woody and leggy.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Well-drained, poor to moderately fertile soil.

Hardiness: H4 — down to −10°C.

Flowering: Aug, Sep.