(Jacobaea maritima ‘Silverdust’)

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Dusty Miller is cool weather, semi hardy, tender perennial mound forming ornamental subshrub that is native to the Mediterranean region. At maturity it reaches the height of 8-12” and features cool, silvery, woolly-felted leaves and golden yellow flowers. This plant can be grown in a container, has medicinal properties, is heat and drought tolerant, and its attractive foliage are great with cut flowers!

  • General Information
  • Starting Indoors
  • Starting Outdoors
  • Harvesting
  • Seed Saving
  • Medicinal
  • Companion Planting
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Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Jacobaea

Species: maritima

Cultivar: Silverdust

Also Known As: Silver ragwort.

Native Range: Northern Africa, western Asia, Europe.

Introduced into: Azores, Belgium, Canary Is., Chatham Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jawa, Kriti, Krym, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden.

Grown as: Tender Perennial/Annual
 
Maturity (Blooms): Rarely flowers

Hardiness: Semi hardy. Perennial in warmer climates. Grown as an annual and mulched to overwinter in cooler climates. Dusty Miller thrives when grown in temperatures that range from 40-60 degrees.

Light: Full sun to part shade. Tolerates full shade, but foliage color is best with some sun.​

Water: Dry to medium.

Soil Moisture: Evenly moist, well-drained.

Suitability: Drought, Dry Soil.
​
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: No.

Containers?: Yes. This plant can be used in containers.

Maintenance: Low

Height: 8-12”
 
Spacing: 8-10”

Sow Depth: On soil surface
 
USDA Zone: Annual: 2-6
                      Perennial: 7-11

Produces: cool, silvery, woolly-felted leaves and golden yellow flowers. 

Garden Uses: Beds or mixed borders. Edgings. Containers.
Start your seeds indoors by sowing 4 seeds per cell in your seed starting tray 4-6 weeks before your last frost date. Be sure to sow your seeds evenly and then lightly cover them with peat moss. Keep the soil moist at 65-75 degrees F and seedlings should emerge in 10-21 days. Place your seedlings on a sunny windowsill or 3-4" under a fluorescent grow light as soon as they emerge. This variety require darkness to grow as well so be sure to give them no more than 16 hours of light per day. Thin to one seedling per cell when they have two sets of leaves. By 3-4 weeks your seedlings will require a starter solution fertilizer which should only be half the strength of houseplant food. Be sure to harden off your seedlings 1 week before transplanting them outdoors by by moving them to a location outside where they will be protected the hot sun and heavy winds. 
Sow your seeds in full sun and well-drained soil after all danger of frost has passed your area. Sow thinly and evenly and cover with ¼ inch of soil and keep it evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 10-21 days depending on the soil and weather conditions. Thin your seedlings 6 inches apart when they are 1-2 inches high.
Harvest stems at your desired length and simply hang them to dry.
Keep an eye on your Silverdust plants during the summer to determine which ones are free of diseases. You want to select the plants that have remained healthy all summer and have grown to their full potential.

Wait for the seeds to dry out on the dusty miller plants at the end of the summer. Stop watering them a few weeks before you plan to harvest the seeds. This way the seedheads will dry out completely while still attached to the plants.

Remove the seedheads from the healthy Silverdust plants. Shake the seeds out into a brown lunch bag. If the seeds don't come out with a hard shaking, you may need to crush the pod manually and extract the seeds with your hands.

Toss a silica gel packet inside the brown lunch bag to keep the bag free from moisture.

Fold down the top of the lunch bag and place inside a glass jar. Tighten the lid and set the jar in a cool dry location until spring.
​The fresh juice of the leaves is ophthalmic. Applied to the eyes it has a mildly irritating effect that increases blood flow to the area, helping to strengthen resistance and clear away infections. One or two drops put into the eyes is said to be of use in removing cataracts and also in the treatment of conjunctivitis. This remedy should only be used under the supervision of a trained practitioner. 

Known hazards: The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are highly toxic to the liver, so the plant should not be used internally.
Project Purity Seeds can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Companion Planting

Silverdust companions include: Angelonia, Basil, and Petunias.

Problems

​No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to rust.

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