This was arguably the best garden plant in the genus. when it was considered a Centaurea. (It was once classified as Centaurea cynaroides...Read More, but has since been successively renamed Stemmacantha centaurioides and now Leuzea centaurioides.)
It looks like a miniature artichoke or thistle, but without prickles. The leaves are gray-green above and white underneath. The pic at the top of this page is clearly of Senecio leucostachys, and not a Centaurea.
Reaches 40" height and as wide. Continues to look good after flowering.
Mature clumps may be propagated by careful division, but this isn't easy.
Requires full sun and excellent drainage. Prefers neutral to mildly alkaline soils. Does not do well on clay. Native to meadows with rocky soils in south-central Spain. Hardy in Z6-9. Not for the hot wet summers of the southeastern US.
This was arguably the best garden plant in the genus. when it was considered a Centaurea. (It was once classified as Centaurea cynaroides...Read More