Dusty Miller

This popular annual bedding plant has many hidden talents. Dusty miller is planted for its elegant lacy silver foliage, often used to create contrast and pattern in formal knot gardens and container plantings. A Mediterranean native, it is naturally salt and drought tolerant, withstands heavy frost, is fire resistant, deer resistant, and attractive to bees. It is somewhat shade tolerant, but needs sun to bring out its best colour. It is easily grown from seed sown directly into the garden. Thin out seedlings as they appear and pinch young plants back to encourage fullness. If the plant blooms, it is best to remove the unprepossessing yellow flowers to maintain the foliage. Dusty miller not only makes all the other plants in your garden look better, it is a boon to those facing tough gardening conditions and a beautiful plant in its own right, lighting up any garden space where it grows. One or two drops of fresh juice dropped into the eye are said to remove cataract.