| Description | Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria) A tender perennial used as an annual. Grown for its lacey silvery-gray foliage. Very cold tolerant and at times has over wintered in zone #5b. |
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| Pronunciation | (se-NE-shi-oh)(sin-se-RA-ri-ah) |
| Plant Type | Annuals, Perennial Tender, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | (7)8-10 |
| Sunlight | full sun , mostly sunny some shdae |
| Moisture | average, tolerates dry |
| Soil & Site | average, doesn't like wet soils |
| Temperature | Very cold tolerant surviving all but the hardest of frosts. On occasion has over wintered for me in hardiness zone #5b. |
| Flowers | small yellow, daisy-like, seldom occur and should be removed because they detract from the plant |
| Leaves | covered with a dense gray-white woolly hair (tomentose), lacey |
| Roots | fiborous |
| Dimensions | 8-15" tall depending on cultivar. Space 8-10" on center. |
| Maintenance | very low maintenance |
| Propagation | seeds |
| Native Site | Native to the Mediterranean. |
| Misc Facts | Has been used in gardens since the Victorian times. (syn. Cineraria maritima, Jacobaea maritima) |
| Author's Notes | This plant has a duel purpose. First it is cold tolerant providing foliage color deep into the fall. Secondly the gray color is a foil for strong colors and mixes well in almost all garden designs. One of my favorite combinations is to use Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) and Dusty Miller. The Periwinkle will succomb to the first frost. They are removed and the Dusty Miller will fill out and survive through most frosts. |
| Notes & Reference | #28-Cottage Garden Annuals(Clive Lane), #51-Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-Hardy Perennials (Alan Arimitage), #76-Annuals for Every Purpose (Larry Hodgson) |
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