Last updated on January 11th, 2024 at 06:51 am
The Dusty Miller Plant Care (Jacobaea Maritima). Also called the Silver Ragwort plant. The first time I saw this plant I thought it was a type of unwanted weed. But once I saw it grow larger and blend in with the other garden plants I quickly learned to love them. They are drought-tolerant and don’t mind the hot weather.
I’ve seen many customers at our retail greenhouse overlook this plant for the same reason. However, I try my best to educate them on the use and how it can enhance their garden if planted in the right place.
The first thing to know is that it is an annual plant but will sometimes come back depending on your garden zone. It looks good in a xeriscape garden or in your flowering garden. Its silver-grey feathery foliage looks good in containers with other plants or by itself in a garden.
It is drought tolerant and will develop root rot if over-watered.
Where to place this plant?
It loves full sun and will have a hard time looking good in the shade. Too much shade and they will get leggy and out of place. It looks good in a xeriscape garden or your flowering garden. Its silver-grey feathery foliage looks good in containers with other plants. The Dusty Miller plant is considered an annual in colder regions of the U.S. but will usually survive the colder months in the lower regions of the southwest.
You can also place it in a decorative container for a fabulous look. Flowering dusty miller in the foreground pink zonal geranium on the left, the blanket flower top middle, and the purple flowering gayfeather plant on the right.
It does produce a nice mustard yellow flower, not showy but a flower nonetheless, in mid-summer.
The Dusty Miller plant will come back in colder regions if you cut back to the ground and cover it with mulch or burlap. It is a hardy plant in and around the southwestern region and rarely develops any problems. Bugs won’t attack it and is disease-free. Occasionally aphids may attack this plant to learn about insects and diseases on plants.
Water occasionally throughout the winter season to help keep the roots alive. They rarely need fertilizer but an occasional 20-20-20 all-purpose fertilizer at about early spring does help with growth.
USDA zone 8-10 is a perennial. I can work in zone 7 but needs to be protected during the winter seasons. Learn where your garden zone is.
There are about seven types of Dusty Miller Plants for garden use. The Silver dust, Silver lace, Silver cascade, and a few others. See images and types of these plants here.
