Dusty Miller

Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima) is a unique plant with silvery and lacy leaves which varies with variety.  which made it useful in creating contrast and accent against the predominantly green or red foliage in the garden.  It's neutral color makes it a great choice for as a filler plant in any border.

Last season, I planted dusty miller along with marigolds and blue lobelia and alyssum in the large containers that hold orange and pomegranate trees.  The arrangement was delightful all the way to the late fall.  But now only the silvery dusty miller remains.   Dusty miller, as much as it is labelled as an annual in your local nursery, is a perennial.  Yes, dusty miller is a perennial plant.

When the plant gets to a mature stage, the shape becomes irregular and the stems get woody.  The plant seem to undergo bolting at flowering.  However,  this can be solved by pruning the plant to shape.  As for the ones I have in my containers (as seen in the picture below) they will soon be transferred to the ground before I plant new annuals into the containers again.