Dusty Miller: Annual or perennial?

Not every plant was meant to be a star, and this perennial is often mistaken as an annual. Even so, some plants are used to make their showier neighbours look good by playing the supporting role: a  job at which dusty miller excels. The outstanding feature of this plant is its luminous silver, felt-textured leaves, which look as if they are covered with dust.

In the sunshine, where dusty miller grows best, the silvery leaves shimmer and accent any plant that is growing around them, especially bedfellows with blue, pink, and yellow flowers, such as chrysanthemums, browallia, dianthus, and pansies.

Low maintenance charm

Because of its light-reflecting qualities, dusty miller works its magic wherever it is planted. They illuminate the garden without requiring exacting care. Standing only 30 to 45 centimetres (12 to 18 inches) tall, the plants require no pruning and rarely need grooming except to remove aged, browning leaves. Dusty miller withstands drought without wilting and multiplies without encouragement.

1. Except for occasional visits by pear-shaped, sap-sucking aphids, almost nothing bothers dusty miller. And you can easily dispatch these pests by spraying plants with insecticidal soap on an overcast day, so the leaves don't burn.
2. Native to the Mediterranean, dusty miller laughs at sparse rainfall.
3. As a veteran of window boxes and urns, it tolerates dry conditions without a problem.
4. However, persistent high humidity or torrential rain can cause the stems to rot or can wash the felt-like texture from the leaves, revealing the green beneath.
5. Growing them in a well-drained, sandy soil is helpful for maintaining healthy plants in damp climates, and it's wise to position containers away from overhead drips.

• 'Cirrus' is a dwarf variety developed to resist rain damage.
• 'Silverdust' remains especially compact, rarely topping 30 centimetres (one foot) in height, making it a good choice for combining with other plants in containers and small beds.
• Dusty miller can endure heavy frosts.
• On the West Coast it grows throughout the year and is often featured alongside pansies in winter gardens.
• In its first year, dusty miller is a handsome foliage plant, but in its second spring it will often send up flowers. The tiny yellow flowers aren't exciting and they obscure the handsome leaves, so they can be removed as soon as they appear.

1. Dusty miller is easily grown from seed. Sow seeds indoor in February and in a moist, sandy, well-drained soil.
2. Do not cover the seeds because light is necessary for germination.
3. Keep the containers in a location with temperatures between 18° and 21°C (64° to 70°F).
4. Transplant the seedlings when their first set of mature, felted leaves appears, or set out bedding plants at the time of your last spring frost.

These perennials make an excellent boarder or filer for any garden.

1. You can also take cuttings of dusty miller, severing eight-centimetre-long (three-inch-long) stems from the mother plant.
2. The felt-like covering on the stems inhibits root formation, so gently scrape the felt off the lower part of the cutting with a sharp knife.
3. Bury the scraped part of the stem in sandy potting soil, making sure to firm the soil around the stem.
4. Moisten the soil around the cuttings when you first insert them, but don't water again until the soil is dry. They should make roots and be ready to transplant into the garden in three to four weeks.