Choose a silver mound, western mugwort, tarragon, or sagebrush first.
Choose a silver mound, western mugwort, tarragon, or sagebrush first
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| A tight silver cushion | Silver mound | Do not buy a rhizome mugwort when you wanted a compact edge |
| Spreading silver foliage | Western mugwort | Do not plant common mugwort from a roadside |
| Kitchen anise leaf | French tarragon from a cutting | Do not sow a seed packet of Russian tarragon |
| Woody arid shrub | Sagebrush | Do not treat it as culinary sage |
| Cream plumes on green leaves | White mugwort in moist ground | Do not put a dry silver mound in that same wet spot |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of artemisia that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the Latin on the tag, then pick the habit you want — a cushion, a runner, a kitchen leaf, or a dry shrub. [1] [2] Silver mound stays put. Western mugwort runs. Tarragon is a cooking leaf. Sagebrush is a shrub for dry ground. [3] White mugwort is the moist, flowering exception in this genus. Sun and watering stay on How to Grow Artemisia. [4]
Which artemisia should I plant?
Pick habit first: a silver mound that does not run, western mugwort for spreading silver, French tarragon for the kitchen, or sagebrush for a dry shrub.
Does white mugwort want dry soil?
No. White mugwort wants moist, richer ground and will take some shade. Do not site it like a dry silver mound.
Browse by kind
Silver mound
Silver Mound is the classic low silver cushion. Nana is the same dwarf schmidtiana class. Neither spreads by runners.
Western mugwort
Silver Queen and Valerie Finnis are named ludoviciana. western mugwort is the species. Douglas mugwort is the California native mugwort. All can run. They are not common mugwort.
White mugwort
white mugwort is grown for cream plumes on green leaves. It wants moist, richer ground and will take some shade — the opposite of a dry silver mound.
Tarragon
tarragon is the kitchen leaf. Buy a labeled French plant grown from a cutting, then keep it on How to Grow Tarragon.
Wormwood
wormwood is upright silver absinthium. Use it as an aromatic foliage plant in a dry herb border, not as a kitchen tarragon.
Southernwood
southernwood is feathery green abrotanum. The leaf smells of camphor and citrus. It is not a silver mound.
Sagebrush
big sagebrush and California sagebrush are woody western shrubs. sand sagebrush, beach sagebrush, and prairie sagewort sit in the same dry-shrub class. Do not buy them as culinary sage.
Powis Castle
Powis Castle is a woody silver hybrid, broader than a mound. Shape it in spring to live buds.
Pick the group, then the plant. Extra shop names are not extra kinds. Silver Brocade, Silver King, and Sweet Annie are not in this catalog; treat a silver spreader you already own as western mugwort, and skip Sweet Annie if you wanted a garden perennial.
If you want a tight silver edge, buy silver mound — western mugwort runs, and a tarragon seed packet is the wrong plant.
FAQ
Is Sweet Annie in this catalog?
No. Sweet Annie is Artemisia annua, an annual we do not list. Garden kinds here are perennials and shrubs.
Is common mugwort the same as western mugwort?
No. Common mugwort is Artemisia vulgaris, a roadside weed. Western mugwort is Artemisia ludoviciana, the garden silver spreader.
Related guides
References
- [1] Iowa State University Extension -
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/article/1994/8-12-1994/art.html - [2] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/artemisia/ - [3] UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County -
https://ucanr.edu/site/mg-sonoma/artemisia-california-sagebrush - [4] Illinois Extension -
https://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/tarragon-french
This note is part of Artemisia Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors