SCIENTIFIC NAME: Senecio cineraria

COMMON NAME: Dusty miller

FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)

TYPE: hardy annual (sometimes considered a perennial, but usually declines after a couple of years)

LEAVES: stiff, gray-white-woolly leaves pinnately cut into blunt oblong segments, branching from the base, 2" to 6" long

FLOWER: daisy-like (somewhat ornamental), 1 1/2" across, yellow or cream

SEASON OF BLOOM: summer

GROWTH HABIT: 8" to 15" round

SOIL: well drained soil important, prefers good organic matter content, heat tolerant but prefers a moist soil condition (not drought tolerant); overwinters and may perennialize

SUN: full sun, heat tolerant

UTILIZATION: edging, foliage plant, specimen; best use in zone 8 is late summer planting and removal the next summer

DISEASES: root rot, stem rot, especially in wet weather

INSECTS AND RELATED PESTS: nematodes

PROPAGATION: seed, stem cuttings

MAINTENANCE: prune to maintain shape

CULTIVARS: Silver Dust