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

This is the 3rd year this plant has returned & yet it is considered an annual in Zone 7b. Its leaves certainly add a dramatic backdrop to my purple flowers.

When I say Dusty Miller to friends, they groan, since they are so common as bedding plants and are weaklings in the garden (tender perennials sold as annuals). In Portland you see a couple scraggly plants languishing over the winter and meh, not for you. HOWEVER, I planted seeds of 'Silver Dust' last spring, and am very happy with the results. It was slow to grow over the first season, but has been unfazed through both uncharacteristic spikes in heat and cold, and remains exactly what it should be, a dash of ferny silver for all seasons. One year old and it isn't floppy, bedraggled or mushy, but instead compact and upright. Is it just its youthful bloom? Will I find a mush pile next year?? A keeper for resilience, color and texture in your outdoor palette. Instead of flashy bedding plants, I'd pair it with blue grasses and sedums.

Not only did these plants survive last summer's drought and extreme heat, but they wintered over and are currently in bloom. The plants are also spreading which is fine with me. I'm quite pleased with the contrasting foliage. The lovely yellow flowers heads are a bonus.

Remarkably this plant has come thru the winter for the past 3 years in my NJ garden! It usually planted as an annual here but the mild winters of the past few years have allowed the plant to come back. They look amazing planted with Russian Sage and Purple Liatris.

I have responded neutral b/c I bought this for a border plant thinking it would be 6-12". But is 3 1/2 feet tall. Beautiful plant I love the grey foilage and yellow flowers. But....I used around the pond. They grew so much taller than I expected that I will need to move them or cut them way back so they don't block the view of the waterfall and pond. The flowers are very messy around a pond if allowed to go to seed. And here in southern California they reseed themselves profusely. Unless I have some variation of this plant.

Pinch off the new growth to encourage a bushier form. DO NOT plant during a heat wave. Does not transplant well.

A striking visual impact when grown as a single plant amidst other colorful flowers.
Seems to be fairly slow growing, and hasn't become woody.

We purchased a pony-pack of this beauty from our local garden center in late April 2004, and it successfully overwintered here in Zone 5b. While it did not flower last year, it is in full bloom now. It is also much larger and denser, and we only lightly mulched it prior to winter. Current foliage height is about 24"; the blooming stalks are about 36" tall.

Our experience is that this cultivar will remain perennial for a handful of years. Younger leaves have a bluish cast that turn almost pure white as they mature, and I prefer it over many of the other "Dusty Miller" cultivars for that reason.

This plant has lacy foliage, more delicate-looking than Dusty Miller. Although 'Silver Dust' can be perennial in Z8 or higher, it's often grown as an annual elsewhere. Leaves are almost white, and pinnatifid. Good for a massed foliage effect in summer bedding; matches well with bright, rich colours.

Note for Z8 or higher: 'Silver Dust' plants kept into the 2nd year may produce coarse, daisy-like flowerheads in mid-summer. Can be deadheaded, or left on.