Artemisia 'Powis Castle' - late or late?

[Tyra Trevellyn]

Last year I planted a single Artemisia 'Powis Castle,' which did quite well for a first-year plant. I pruned back the old leafy stems a few weeks back, leaving a woody, shrubby base, about a foot tall, somewhat branched. There's no sign of new growth, however, but fingernail scrapes at the base near the soil line show green. Is this variety of artemisia normally late to leaf out? (From what I understand, it doesn't send out runners forming new plants, like some artemisia species.)

I've never grown it before last year, but artemisia seems to show up early for me here. The weather's been mild and pretty much spring-like for the past two weeks or more, the ground's been unfrozen for at least a month, and just about every else is showing normal signs of renewal.

Thanks for any ideas.... Best, Tyra nNJ usa z7

[Tyra Trevellyn]

(Sorry, think this posted a second ago....hit button too soon.)

Last year I planted a single Artemisia 'Powis Castle,' which did quite well for a first-year plant. I pruned back the old leafy stems a few weeks back, leaving a woody, shrubby base, about a foot tall, somewhat branched. There's no sign of new growth, however, but fingernail scrapes at the base near the soil line show green. Is this variety of artemisia normally late to leaf out? (From what I understand, it doesn't send out runners forming new plants, like some artemisia species.)

I've never grown it before last year, but artemisia seems to show up early for me here. The weather's been mild and pretty much spring-like for the past two weeks or more, the ground's been unfrozen for at least a month, and just about every else is showing normal signs of renewal.

Thanks for any ideas.... Best, Tyra nNJ usa z7

[David J Bockman]

My Powis Castle is slow to leaf out this year as well.. however it *has* started. (also zone 7)

Dave

[escapee]

Yes, this is a later plant. It requires soil to be approximately 70 degrees for it to break dormancy.

[David Ross]

Our ground never freezes, but we might get light frost during the night from early December until March (or rarely until April).

I cut my artemisia back like you described late last year (November and December). It took about two weeks before I saw new growth. Now they look like they were never cut at all. Beautiful! I have six of them.

Now, I have started pinching them back to keep them under control.

[Tyra Trevellyn]

Thanks to David R, David B, and Victoria for words of hope and patience. :-) Like I said, other artemisias I've grown have appeared early enough in spring.....but what I didn't say is that they rarely last more than two seasons or so. The only truly reliably returning and thriving artemisia species I have is A. dracunculus (French Tarragon).

I'll still keep up some optimism for 'Powis Castle,' though, and in the meantime I'll take heart from the heavily germinating wormwood I started a coupla weeks ago from a seed packet. Speaking of which, I also started Artemisia annua .... Sweet Annie....from seed at the same time, and don't see more than a couple of seedlings....any experience with this?

Best, Tyra nNJ usa z7

[escapee]

To be honest, this is not generally a long lived perennial plant in moist, cold winters. It thrives in Texas, but it loves our dry soils. For the most part, plants which have silver foliage, with our without fuzzy leaves, love drought conditions...and dryish winter soils, not the wet of NJ or NY...or even the PNW.

Silver mound was very reliable for me up on Long Island, but it needed to be cut way back after its first flush of rapid growth or it would split down the center and get rangy looking.

I find most artemesia's appreciate a good haricut about half way through the natural growing season.

Victoria