dusty miller
Centaurea cineraria
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones8 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size6 to 24 inches tall12 to 14 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Mounding
- Bloom season
- Spring, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Gray/silver, green, white
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
Garden uses
Notes
Dusty miller (Centaurea cineraria) is a perennial for borders, cottage gardens, and accents. It is hardy to USDA zone 8, or down to 10°F (-12°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, loamy or clay soil. Its mounding foliage is gray and silver, grows fast, and tolerates drought. Deer tend to browse other plants first. Yellow flowers open in spring and again in autumn.
Pairs well with Japanese forest grass, Garden phlox, and Ornamental onion.
Native range
Africa, Benin, Gambia, Guinea, and 2 more places. See all 6
Africa, Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania.