Cerastium tomentosum
$12.99
Cerastium tomentosum spreads into a woolly silver evergreen mat topped by masses of deeply notched white stars in late spring.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Cerastium tomentosum is a vigorous, short-lived perennial ground cover whose creeping stems weave a dense evergreen mat of narrow gray-green leaves softened by white hairs.
In late spring and early summer, wiry stems lift loose cymes of five-petalled white flowers; each petal is deeply notched, producing the familiar snow-like display.
Plant it in full sun and sharply drained, lean soil. It tolerates drought, deer, poor ground, and rocky sites but declines in wet soil, deep shade, or hot humid summers.
Use snow-in-summer on banks, dry walls, gravel beds, border edges, and xeriscapes. Shearing after flowering controls seedlings and renews the silvery carpet.
Additional information
| Height | 15 cm – 30 cm |
|---|---|
| Spread | 25 cm – 45 cm |
| Flowering months | May, June |
| Synonyms | Cerastium tomentosum L. |
| Family | Caryophyllaceae |
| Propagation | Propagate by seed, division, root cuttings, or stem-tip cuttings; divide established mats in spring or autumn. |
| Pests | Generally pest-free; no serious insect problems are reported by the principal institutional profiles. |
| Diseases | Root rot is serious in wet soil; damping-off and fungal leaf problems can develop with poor drainage, shade, heat, or high humidity. |
| Pruning | Shear off spent flower stems after bloom to limit self-seeding, prevent foliage decline, and keep the spreading mat neat; avoid autumn pruning. |
| Hazardous information | Direct contact has caused irritant dermatitis in a published human case report; wear gloves when handling if skin is sensitive. |
| Hazardous | yes |
| Variegated | no |
| Watering instructions | Water to establish, then allow the sharply drained soil to become dry. |
| Sunlight instructions | Provide full sun for dense silver foliage and abundant white flowers. |
| Color flower spring | White |
| Color flower summer | White |
| Aspect | South, West |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Habit | Mat-former |
| Moisture | Well Drained Soil |
| Ph | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
| Position | Full sun, Partial shade |
| Scent | No |
| Shape | Prostrate, Spreading |
| Suggest planting location | Banks and slopes, Flowering borders, Rock and alpine gardens, Gravel and stone gardens, Ground cover planting |
| Type | Perennial |
| Use for | Ground cover, Xeriscape, Edging Plant |
| Years to max height | 2 |
| Drought resistance | yes |
| Soil | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Local names | Snow-in-Summer, Woolly Mouse-Ear Chickweed, Dusty Miller, Jerusalem Star, Snow Plant, Snow-in-summer, Viltige hoornbloem |
| Blomidon Item No | MO23016603, ZCERTO5RD |