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Dusty Miller

Annual Flower

Senecio cineraria
Asteraceae Family
Synonym: Cineraria maritima, Senecio maritimus, Senecio bicolor subsp. cineraria, Senecio candicans

Dusty Miller’s unusual silvery gray/white foliage provides attractive contrast to bold-colored garden flowers. Its leaves can be entire, deeply lobed, or intricately lacy. Easy to find at retail outlets. Prefers cool weather.

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Site and Plant Characteristics
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Growing Information
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Varieties
Site Characteristics
Sunlight:
  • full sun
  • part shade

Soil conditions:

  • tolerates droughty soil
  • requires well-drained soil

Special locations:

  • outdoor containers
  • xeriscapes
Plant Traits

Lifecycle: annual

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 0.75 to 2 feet

Spread: 0.75 to 2 feet

Bloom time:

  • late summer
  • early fall

Flower color: yellow

Flowers are attractive, but usually removed to prevent legginess and focus attention on foliage.

Foliage color: other

The foliage is silvery white/gray.

Foliage texture:

  • medium
  • fine

Shape: upright

Shape in flower: flower stalks with upright spikes
Special Considerations
Tolerates:
  • frost - Tolerates light frost.
Special characteristics:
  • deer resistant
  • non-aggressive
  • non-invasive
  • not native to North America - Native to the Mediterranean.
Special uses:
  • dried flowers - In the fall, cut the plants off at their bases and dry them in a warm, dry place for use in arrangements.
Growing Information
How to plant:

Propagate by seed - Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. Do not cover, as they need light to germinate. Water from the bottom to prevent damping off. Pre-started plants readily available at retail outlets.

Germination temperature: 65 F to 75 F

Days to emergence: 10 to 14

Maintenance and care:
Pinch off flowers to keep plants bushy.

More growing information: How to Grow Annuals

Varieties
‘Silver Dust’: 8” tall plants with deeply dissected, silvery-gray leaves.

‘Cirrus’: 10” to 1 1/2’ tall plans have slightly lobed, gray leaves.

‘Silver Lace’: very airy and lacy, coral-like, silvery foliage on 1 ˝’ tall plants.

'Silver Queen': 8" plants with lacy leaves.

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