Cineraria 'Silver Dust' (Jacobaea maritima) – Silver Foliage Bedding (Set of 3 or 6)

Cineraria 'Silver Dust' is grown for its leaves rather than its flowers, a low mound of finely cut foliage covered in dense white felt.

The leaves are deeply lobed and read as almost white in good light, which is why growers use it to separate and lift bright bedding colours rather than add another one. Botanically it is Jacobaea maritima; older labels call it Senecio cineraria, and the trade calls it cineraria. All three names are the same silver leaved plant.

Give it full sun and a free draining soil or compost, in a border edge, a patio pot or a window box. It is hardier than most bedding and will often come through a British winter outdoors, so it works in winter planting as well as summer. In its second year it turns woody and leggy and runs to flower instead of staying compact, which is why most gardeners replace it each spring. Pinch out the growing tips to keep it dense, and remove any flower stems if you want the silver at its best. The foliage also cuts well for arrangements. Supplied as three or six plants in 10.5cm pots.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Silver dust, silver ragwort
• Growth Habit: Low and mounded, compact in its first year
• Perfect For: Border edging, patio pots, window boxes, winter and summer bedding schemes
• Foliage: Silver white, felted, deeply cut, evergreen
• Flowering Time: Grown for foliage. Flower stems are usually removed to keep the plant compact
• Planting Position: Full sun
• Soil Type: Any free draining garden soil or peat-free compost
• Hardiness: Hardy, and often comes through a British winter outdoors
• Maintenance: Low. Pinch the tips to keep it bushy and take off flower stems
• Seasonal Interest: All year, from the evergreen silver foliage
• Type: Bedding plant