Dusty Miller Can Start off Your Spring Garden
 (Read 50+ times)
By Harold Sink
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Senecio Cineraria, AKA Dusty Miller, is a very hearty annual. Certain varieties are bi-annual. One may think that it is an evergreen if you have seen some of the ones I have seen here in Allen, TX. This European cottage style plant is most known for its silver and gray brilliance upon the muted green foliage.
Oddly enough they do bloom as well if planted in good soil for them. The yellow flowers are a rather striking color against the backdrop of this type. Many gardeners cut them back to keep the plants growing more as one would with mums.
Here in Texas, Dusty Miller can be an all year plant, but it is most known for its Spring and Fall presence. Landscapers buy up this precious plant early in the mornings before the general public can get their pick of the silver master. You have to know where to look in order to find this wonderful asset for your garden.
This is a full sun plant, but I have seen it grow in partial shade as well. This hearty plant can grow in just about any type of soil. Believe it or not, I have seen it growing in the red clay of Oklahoma. These plants do not need much water either outside of summer.
A weekly watering will suffice, but as summer comes on you may need to water it as much as three times a week. That is unless it is in clay. These make wonderful indoor flower arrangements, and can be grown indoors, too.
From what I have read, Dusty Miller can grow up to 18 inches high. I know for a fact it can grow taller with blood meal mixed into sandy soil. The richer and looser the soil, the more Dusty Miller will grow.
Yellow is not the only color of blooms that it will grow. You can find it with blooms in white, pale blue, red, and lavender. You can grow Dusty Miller from seed or cuttings.
This is not an edible plant by any means, which would explain why it deters deer and rabbits. If you do not have a fenced yard you may want to plant this with vinca as well to further deter unwanted varmints that like to linger about.
Dusty Miller makes a wonderful border for that English garden. In addition, you can grow it as a filler between your tall flowering plants as it will flower before them, and continue growing.
You may want to rethink your garden plans and add this spectacular silver annual to it.
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Author Bio Box: Harold Sink
 http://www.fernlea.com/annual/variety/dusty.htm,
http://www.dustymillerfarm.com/,
http://www.floridata.com/ref/S/sene_cin.cfm,
http://www.bonnieplants.com/Default.aspx?tabid=474,
http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/dusty.htm
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