Pronounciation: Se-NEC-i-o VIR-a VIR-a

Hardiness zones:
Sunset All (needs protection in zones 1-3)
USDA All

Landscape Use: Annual or perennial border plant, accent, in combination with other annuals and/or perennials. This is a great container plant for textural and gray color accent, useful container plant around pools.

Form & Character: Densely mounding, clean, grey, formal, recessive.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous, short-lived perennial subshrub, mounding 1- to 2-feet tall (when not in bloom).

Foliage/Texture: Senecio vira vira leaves are densely tomentose to 2.5-inches long, deeply pinnately dissected into 2 to 4 pairs of linear, entire segments; medium coarse texture. Senecio cineraria leaves are also white, densely tomentose, pinnately cut into oblong blunt segments, might become green on upper surface, especially in shaded areas; coarse texture.

Flowers & Fruits: White to small, unspectacular yellow ray flowers on long stalks during warm season, Senecio vira vira flowers are especially unsightly; fruits look like miniature, rounded, silver-gray artichokes.

Seasonal Color: None

Temperature: Tolerant

Light: Full to partial sun.

Soil: Well drained

Watering: Regular

Pruning: Remove flowers stalks, flower stalks of Senecio vira vira are taller than those of Senecio cineraria and need to be pinched terminally upon emergence to maintain dense growth habit.

Propagation: Seed or cuttings.

Disease and pests: Root rot in if a wet poorly drained location, snails and slugs in California.

Additional comments: Dusty miller is a tough foliar accent subshrub for flower beds and gardens, fire retardant.