Botanical Name: Artemisia lactiflora (Guizhou Group)
Add
Common Name: White Mugwort  
Plant photo of: Artemisia lactiflora (Guizhou Group)
Previous Photo     Next Photo

Water Saving Tip:

Change spray sprinklers to low-flow bubbler or drip systems. Shrubs and trees are ideal candidates for this type of irrigation because the water is applied directly to the root zones.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

3-6'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Red

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium, High

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Loam

 

Soil Condition

Rich, Well-drained, Moist

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

Invasive

Design Styles

English Cottage, Japanese, Tropical, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers, Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Perennial Border, Shrub Border, Raised Planter

 

Special Uses

Container, Cut Flowers, Filler, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

White mugwort and its cultivars are erect, clump-forming perennials which typically grow up 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. They have upright, branched, terminal sprays of loose panicles of creamy white flowers which bloom atop stiff, dark mahogany stems in late summer. Stems usually do not need staking. Pinnately divided blackish-green leaves have coarsely toothed segments. Most artemisias have non-ornamental flowers and are grown primarily for their attractive silver/gray foliage. By comparison, the white mugworts have attractive flowers and green (blackish-green in the case of this cultivar) leaves. They generally require more water than their silver-foliaged-kin.
Best grown in fertile, loamy, moderate to moist, well drained soils in full sun. Excellent soil drainage is essential for growing this plant and it does poorly in moist to wet soils as plants are susceptible to root rot. Plant stems tend to flop in the summer, if over-fertilized, over-watered, or receive too little sunlight. Prune plants in early spring to tidy, being careful to leave sufficient numbers of live buds on each stem to facilitate bushy growth. Never prune stems to the ground. Foliage may also be lightly sheared in summer to shape, but avoid pruning in fall.