Providing welcome contrast to the garden’s leafy green palette, this incandescent Huntington Botanical Garden introduction yields a soft textured billowing dome of deeply dissected silver-gray foliage on wellbranched upright stems. Similar to ‘Powis Castle’, save for larger less sculpted leaves, ‘Huntington Gardens’ is a refined woody perennial, clad in delicate silky hairs, that can be ensconced near the middle or back of the border, where it juxtaposes broad leaves, sword-shaped blades or fiery colored flowers to great effect. It produces somewhat inconspicuous grayish yellow leafy flower heads and relishes lean, fast draining dry soil.

Blooms July–August.

Size: 3' 0" – 4' 0" high x 3' 0" – 4' 0" wide.

Zone 6/7.

Elevated by vigorous straight mahogany stalks that reach 4 ft. in the first season plus dapper coarsely-cut forest-green leaves, copious tiny white flowers embellish large branched panicles. ‘Guizhou’ can be paired with other tall perennials such as Aster ‘Bluebird’, or situated near Panicum virgatum ‘Warrior’ to echo its reddish stems.

Blooms August–September

Size: 5' 0" high x 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 4.

‘Valerie Finnis’ dons silvery white leaves so soft and showy you’d think they were felt. Lobed near the tips, the wide aromatic foliage lines stout, generally erect gray stems, forming a compact, noninvasive clump that makes a luminous counterpoint to lush greens or bronzes.

This prized perfect-for-drying Mugwort can be pinched to maintain its textural form and lightly sheared when dense yellowish gray flower panicles appear. Thwarting deer and tolerant of both poor or dry soil, the Western Mugwort demands excellent drainage and mopes in high humidity.

Blooms August.

Size: 15" – 18" high x 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 4.

Plentiful small round buds and fluffy, pastel pink blooms populate gracefully tapered sheaves, and set against the deep purple branching stems they seem to sparkle. The elegant, airy flowers reign over an impressive textural foil of jagged-edged dark green leaves.

Blooms August – September.

Size: 5' 0" high x 18" – 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.

Brimming with texture, ‘Sea Foam’ hosts a frothy display of incandescent silver-gray foliage. Swirling, curly, filigreed leaves are draped like finely cut lace along vigorous firm woody stems. Not intrusive and tight-set, this low mounding shrubby perennial can take it hot but not humid, needs well drained soil, makes a good winter statement and occasionally yields cute, little yellow buttons on downy white flower spikes.

Blooms August.

Size: 8" – 12" high x 2' 0" wide.

Zone 4/5.