Wormwood (Artemisia) Plant Profile

Botanical and Common Name: Wormwood is often called by the scientific name, Artemisia, but is also called mugwort.

Plant Category: Artemisia is a perennial and older, well-established plants are often woody in nature.

Bloom Time and Color: Artemisia is primarily grown for the attractive and aromatic foliage and rarely flowers.

Foliage: The aromatic foliage of wormwood is often finely cut and highly attractive. Many forms have silvery foliage suitable for a moonlight garden or silver garden. In warmer climates the herb is essentially evergreen.

Growth Habit: Artemisia has a slightly rounded growth habit and upright growing silhouette.

Dimensions: Most artemisia grows between 2′ and 5′ tall depending on the species and variety.

Preferred Conditions: Zones 3-10 depending on the species – be sure to check the plant label or description. Wormwood is a hardy herb that can tolerate little to moderate amounts of water but prefers full sun. Well-drained soil is needed to prevent root rot.

Maintenance: Light pruning can help keep the shape of your artemisia and keep an established plant from growing out of bounds but heavy pruning, especially in the fall, should be avoided.

Pests or Diseases: Artemisia is generally hardy and disease resistant, although root rot can be a problem if the soil remains too soggy.

Propagation Methods: New artemisia plants can be propagated through divisions or rhizomatic spreading.

Companion Plants and Uses in the Garden: Add artemisia to a moonlight garden where the silver foliage will lend an ethereal air to a night time sitting area. Wormwood also makes a great addition to a cottage garden, kitchen herb garden or any container planting since the silver foliage blends nicely, even with bright colored flowers.

Seasons of Interest: Artemisia usually provides year round interest through the attractive and fine-cut foliage.

Varieties and Cultivars:

• Artemisia schmidtiana – Angel hair artemisia. Fine-cut foliage with silvery white leaves make these compact artemisia plants a treasure for many small gardens and containers.
• Artemisia abrotanum – Southernwood artemisia. Feathery foliage is lemon-scented and gray-green in color. This wormwood grows about 3′ tall and wide.
• Artemisia absinthium – Common wormwood. An upright artemisia that grows 4′ tall and about 2′ wide with silvery grey foliage. This artemisia was once the source of flavoring for the liquor absinthe.
• Artemisia frigida – Silky wormwood. Zones 3-10. This artemisia is a low-growing, spreading species that may only grow 9-12″ tall making it almost ground cover in nature. The silvery-white foliage is camphor-scented and feathery looking because of the fine-cut leaves.
• Artemisia lactiflora – White mugwort. Zones 3-8. This artemisia is unusual in that it is grown for the attractive white flowers which contrast with dark green leaves, almost black foliage in some cultivars. The white mugwort is a large, clump forming perennial.
• Artemisia vulgaris – Wormwood. Different cultivars of this artemisia do not display the typically silver foliage of many artemisia but rather have variegated green and yellow foliage that is slightly large and less feathery in appearance than many wormwoods. These artemisia plants make a good contrast when combined with other wormwoods.