Artemisia schmidtiana aka Silvermound

Artemisia schmidtiana is a low, evergreen perennial in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Gardeners also know it as silvermound or Schmidt wormwood. It comes from temperate parts of the Russian Far East and Japan. Its range includes Sakhalin, the Kurile Islands, Hokkaido, and Honshu. In Japan, it grows on bare ground and grassy slopes. Its wild sites include high mountains and places near the sea.

The plant forms a rounded mound and spreads through rhizomes. Its fine, divided leaves look silver and have a light scent. The RHS describes plants about 1 foot [0.3 metres] tall. Its broader size range reaches 1.6 feet [0.5 metres] in height and spread. Plants take two to five years to reach full size. The foliage provides much of its value in garden beds. Small, pale yellow flowers may appear in clusters during summer. Plants For A Future places flowering from midsummer into early autumn.

Grow this species in full sun and fertile soil. Good drainage matters more than a narrow soil pH range. It accepts acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions. The RHS lists chalk, loam, and sand as suitable soils. Moisture can range from dry to moist, provided water drains freely. Heavy soil with poor drainage can cause the plant to die back. The RHS gives it a UK hardiness rating of H5. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 5–8.

Use its low mound along edges or as ground cover. It also suits rock gardens, gravel beds, patios, and containers. The RHS includes it among plants for low-maintenance gardens. It fits both courtyard spaces and informal cottage planting. Trim it lightly in spring to keep its shape. Avoid cuts into old woody stems that lack buds. Raise new plants from seed, division, or cuttings. Both softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings are suitable. Pests seldom cause trouble, though honey fungus may attack it.

Plants For A Future records cooked stems as edible. It gives the species a low food-use score of one out of five. That source lists no known medicinal or other practical uses. It reports no known toxicity cases for this species. This does not establish safety for every use or for pets. Plants For A Future does not flag it as weedy.