Artemisia stelleriana Silver Brocade looks just like the annual dusty miller. But ‘Silver Brocade’ artemisia is actually a perennial. Grown for its silver foliage, it makes a nice foliage accent in the perennial garden. However, this easy-going perennial holds a little secret that most people don’t know about. It serves as a reliable host for the caterpillars of the American lady butterfly! The thick white hairs on the leaves don’t deter them at all, and you’re like to find that your plant becomes the neighborhood hangout for American ladies and their larvae.

‘Silver Brocade’ (also known to some as ‘Boughton Silver’) needs full sun to look its best; well-drained soil, especially in winter, is essential as well. If you live in an area with heavy clay soils that stay wet for prolonged period, it should be planted with its crown slightly above the soil so water drains away from it. 

A sun-loving, drought-tolerant, deer resistant, foliage plant.

A Northern Sunset Perennial, it prefers average, dry to well-drained soil in full sun.

Image courtesy of Van Bloem