Echter's Plant Finder

Other Names:  Curlicue Sage, Seafoam Sage, Wormwood, Mugwort

Brand:  Plant Select

Description:

A low growing, mounded variety with thread-like, curlicues of silver foliage; resistant to deer, and does well in poor, dry soils; ideal for the front of hot dry borders, providing interesting texture and contrast to the landscape

Ornamental Features

Sea Foam Sage's attractive deeply cut threadlike compound leaves remain bluish-green in color with showy silvery blue variegation and tinges of white throughout the year on a plant with a mounded habit of growth.

Landscape Attributes

Sea Foam Sage is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a mounded form. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sea Foam Sage is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Sea Foam Sage will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for clay, alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Sea Foam Sage is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a canvas of foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.