White mugwort is clump forming herbaceous perennial native to India and western China. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisies, sunflowers, and lettuce. The dark green leaves are eight to nine inches long and pinnately compound. Each leaflet is about three inches long, toothed, and coarsely lobed. In late summer small, creamy white flower heads are carried well above the foliage in plume-like loose panicles one to two feet long. White mugwort is somewhat unique among artemisias because it has green leaves rather than silver and is grown for its flowers as well as its foliage. In addition, it likes moist soil rather than dry. Its tall stature (up to six feet) makes it a good back of the border plant and its flowers earns it a place in a cutting garden as they are good fresh in the vase or dried. The genus name, Artemisia, is the name of the Greek goddess of chastity, the hunt, and the moon. The specific epithet, lactiflora, comes from the Latin words lac, lactis, meaning milk, and flos, meaning flower.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: Small, creamy white flower heads produced in late summer in loose panicles 1-2’ long
Size: 4-6’ H x 4’ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 5-8
Care: Cut back in early summer to prevent legginess; may need staking; cut back to the basal foliage after flowering.
Pests and Diseases: None of significance but susceptible to rust and powdery mildew.
Propagation: Seed, semi hardwood cuttings in late summer, division every three to four years
Companion Plants: Asters, purple coneflowers, daisies,mums, Japanese anemone, monkshood, Rudbeckia
Outstanding Selection: Guizhou Group (blackish green leaves, mahogany stems)