Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage)

Grown for its luminous silver-white foliage, Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage) is a vigorous, spreading perennial that brings light, texture, and contrast to sunny landscapes. It forms bushy clumps of lance-shaped leaves, 2-4 in. long (5-10 cm), that are white-woolly beneath and greener above. The foliage is aromatic when bruised and pairs beautifully with brightly colored flowering perennials. Its tiny yellow-gray flowers are relatively inconspicuous and are often removed to keep the focus on the foliage.

White Sage is also a documented larval host plant for the American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis). Caterpillars feed on the foliage and may build silk-bound shelters among the leaves. In a butterfly garden, some chewed or webbed foliage can therefore be a sign that the plant is successfully supporting the next generation.

This foliage plant is especially useful in dry, sunny sites where its silvery leaves can soften stronger colors and provide a cooling visual effect. Because it spreads readily by rhizomes and may also self-seed, it is best planted where some expansion is acceptable or where its spread can be managed.

• Grows about 2-3 ft. tall and wide (60-90 cm).
• May spread vigorously by rhizomes and can also self-seed.
• Thrives in full sun and poor to moderately fertile, dry to medium-moisture, well-drained soils.
• Excellent drainage is essential. White Sage may decline in heavy, persistently wet soil.
• Excellent as a foliage accent in beds and borders, herb gardens, cottage gardens, and drought-tolerant landscapes.
• The foliage provides food and shelter for American Lady caterpillars.
• Generally pest free, although powdery mildew may occasionally occur.
• Drought tolerant once established and generally resistant to deer and rabbits.
• Cut old stems back to the base in late fall or early spring.
• Remove flower heads before seed develops if self-seeding is not desired. Root barriers or regular division can help control rhizomatous spread.
• Propagate by division or by semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer.
• Native across much of North America, from Canada through the United States into Mexico.
• Best Drought-Tolerant Texas Plants for Truly Stunning Xeriscapes
• Notable cultivars include ‘Silver King‘, valued for dense silvery-white foliage; ‘Silver Queen‘, with finely textured silver foliage; ‘Valerie Finnis‘, a more compact selection with silvery-gray foliage and an RHS Award of Garden Merit; and ‘Silver Frost‘, a compact cultivar reaching about 18 in. (45 cm).