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Dusty Miller
Jacobaea maritima
Dusty Miller is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Dusty Miller
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 8–11. Expect it to reach about 1.1 ft tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Dusty Miller
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Dusty Miller into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 9 in February.
Good to know about Dusty Miller
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is poisonous to cats, dogs, and horses. Never use it as an herb or tea, and keep it from pets and children. per NC State and USDA
Worth knowing
In shade it survives but loses the point: the silver fades as the green shows through, and it grows leggy. Full sun keeps it bright and dense. per NC State and Wisconsin
How much to water
Most extension sources call for low water and dry-side soil; one botanic garden lists medium moisture. Water sparingly once established: soggy soil rots the roots. per NC State and Missouri Botanical Garden
How big it gets
As an annual it stays a small mound, about 0.2 to 0.5 m tall. Left as a perennial in a frost-free zone it grows shrubbier, to 0.6 to 0.9 m. per NC State and University of Florida
Deer leave it alone
Deer seldom touch it: the woolly, aromatic, alkaloid-laden leaves are unpalatable. No plant is fully deer-proof under heavy pressure, but this is a reliable deer-resistant bedder. per NC State and Wisconsin
Grown for leaves, not flowers
It is grown for foliage. Flowers appear only in a second year, are small, insignificant yellow daisies, and are usually pinched off to keep growth in the leaves. per NC State
Keep the soil lean
Give it light, well-drained, lean soil and skip the fertilizer. Rich soil or extra nitrogen pushes soft, leafy growth and thins the dense silver foliage. per NC State
What pairs well with Dusty Miller
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
False Indigo
Shares full sun and low water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 4.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Creeping Sedum
Shares full sun and low water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
Globe Thistle
Shares full sun and low water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Fountain Grass
Shares full sun and low water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Pampas Grass
Shares full sun and low water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; stands well above at 8.2 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
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