PlantFiles: Dusty Miller, Silver Ragwort
Senecio bicolor subsp. cineraria

It would seem that if it is green, I can kill it! When we moved to this house and was getting ready for a house warming party, I saw some nice looking plants at the grocery store didn't even know what a Dusty Miller was. Well they only had to live through the weekend, so I got 5 of them, planted them in front of my porch, & literally forgot about them. I have managed to kill everything else, even my grass is brown most of the year, but I have gorgeous Dusty Millers, bigger and fuller than ever! Hey, thank goodness my kids aren't green!!

This year, I planted Dusty Miller with Lavender in a border that gets sun for most of the day. The effect is truly beautiful. Being plagued with deer, I have to be choosy about what to plant and this combination is completely inpalatable to them. I live on a Gulf Island on the West Coast of Canada in Zone 8.

I've got dusty miller growing out front that has been going strong for at least 3 years now here in zone 7, and the dusty miller out back is in its second summer. They're flowering right now. I expected them to be annuals and I watched for signs of the plants' demise, ready to pull them out, but it never came. It seems to love our NC summers and hangs on in the winter. Since the one out front started looking a little straggly with the flowers I did some trimming and placed the cut flowering stems in a vase which has been looking good (and kind of interesting as a cut stem) for two weeks. Looks great next to the purple foliage of Setcreasea and also next to the foliage and blooms of Lavender.

This plant is hardy to USDA Zone 5 without a doubt. I have had it growing in a difficult spot for 3 years. I finally took 2 root divisions after 3 years of growth. It also puts down roots from branches as it grows wider. I prefer to cut it back in the spring to eliminate the 2nd year growth and do without the yellow blooms. They are pretty but the plant itself ends up looking tired and like its cousin ..... ragweed. This is a great plant to place in between greenery for a contrast in the garden. For the drier climates ... this is a hardy plant that thrives.

I planted this as an annual but learned that it works wonderfully as a perennial. Here in NJ, Zone 6b, I leave the plants in through winter. After a thaw, I break out the rotted centers of the plants. In spring it sprouts again peripherally, coming back stronger and thicker than before.

I've found it easy to grow, but I just don't personally care for the appearance.

I agree with henryr10 about the climate rating for this. I'm in 7b & this comes back from year to year & often, never dies down. I grow mine for the foliage - a nice contrast with purples, blues, & pink coloured flowers or sun-loving coleus.

Personally, I think the yellow flowers clash with the foliage so don't allow mine to flower. I've noticed it gets very sad looking by the end of summer - I think powdery mildew gets mine as I don't have enough air circulation around them. But I trim it down & it grows back again. Not the most fantastic plant but is a good workhorse to mix among other, more spectacular flowers.

I grow them in zone 9a. They die out by the middle of the summer, but most of the annuals that I plant in the spring do the same thing. It must be the heat.

A beautiful contrast to other plants

Dusty millers are grown as annuals in zone 3, where they are prized for their silvery-grey foliage. The leaves are actually green, but covered in tiny hairs which reflect light, giving them their silvery colour. This also minimizes moisture loss, making them drought-tolerant, and able to withstand hot temperatures. They make a good contrast for darker flowers or foliage... a common companion is pelargonium (geranium). They are also good in "moon gardens" as their foliage reflects moonlight. I've never seen them flower, probably because the growing season here is so short. They can withstand a light frost and will often outlast most other annuals into the late autumn. Even when killed by a hard frost, they largely retain their form and can be kept until spring for winter interest.

This was placed at the edge of the front walkway (filtered sun and full late afternoon full sun) and must be trimmed continually, especially the leggy, lower limbs and dried undergrowth. Despite a hacking, it quickly comes back to a lush, lovely bush that adds a grand colour of gray to the area, espcially wiht its yellow flowers. Planted next to daylilies and amaranth, its perfect.

I have grown this BEAUTIFULLY in containers with other plants in SE Nebraska, but NO FLOWERS, perhaps it's just the particular variety. Flowers or Not, I hope it comes back next year. If not I'll just get some more!

Here in Cincinnati it is very well behaved but rarely, in my experience, flowers.

I do though take exception to the Zone rating.
We have it, both grounded and in hanging pots, and w/ no protection has reliably come back for 4 years now.
It will die back to the ground, or in some cases thicker stems, and by early/mid Spring is starting new growth.

This is a nice white leaved perennial that is abundant here in north Alabama. The yellow flowers are nice in summer but it spreads too much and the lower portions of the stem can look ratty during the winter.

The attractive white foliage blends well with other winter annuals in Florida.

It is difficult to carry over as a perennial.

This plant is really useful in seaside gardens (Atlantic coast of Morocco, North Africa). It succeeds where not much else does, and is most attractive when grown for its foliage. The flowers are also attractive but the plant can get messy looking if the flower spikes are not cut down periodically.
Unlike other commentators, I have had no trouble growing this plant, but then my experience is in a Mediterranean climate which is apparently ideal for this plant.

San Antonio, Tx.
Senecio cineraria prefers summers that are warm and dry and winters that are wet and cool and is native to Mediterranean regions where it grows in arid locations.
Requiring full sun, Dusty Miller does best in well-drained soil (even sandy soil with frequent irrigation). Although once established, it is fairly drought tolerant, it should be watered during prolonged dry periods (do not overhead water). Until the root systems are well established, new plantings may require daily watering, especially in sandy soils. It contracts a rust disease during prolonged hot, wet periods, declines and eventually dies which is what happened to my plants. Planted where it does not receive full sun, it beomes leggy which is not very attractive. It may be pruned to encourage bushiness.

In subtropical habitats such as the Gulf Coast and Florida, it is usually grown as a winter annual. Tolerating extreme heat, it can not withstand frequent rain. In California that does not receive a lot of summertime rain, it is grown as a perennial. It should be grown as a summer annual in colder climates. It is easily propogated by semi-hard stem tip cuttings from semi-hard stem tips in in the summer. It can also by propogated by seed, but be sure not to cover the seed with soil.

I give it a neutral rating because this plant was beautiful for a while in my garden, but did not sustain itself over a 2 year period without frequent trimming which negates the production of flowers and because of the rust problem. However, I mainly grew them for their foiage. As an annual, they would be okay. I have them listed in my database as a plant to avoid.

I am in zone 9b, Houston area. I planted at least 16 of them last spring in different locations in my yard, and only 3 survived. I guess they like to be in the shade in this area. I'm disappointed because they are supposed to be easy.

Have care. The plant is a close relative of ragwort and contains the highly damaging precursor toxins
jacobine
senecionine
seneciphylline
otosenine
retrosine
If ingested or absorbed through the skin they destroy liver cells and can cause death from cirrhosis or cancer