Plant Library

Other Names:  syn. Constancea nevinii

Description:

A small shrub, or sub-shrub featuring white, wooly, deeply lobed leaves with curled edges; contrasting yellow flower heads rise above the foliage in spring and summer, maturing to dark brown; a spectacular coastal plant for mild climates

Ornamental Features

Nevin's Wooly Sunflower features showy clusters of yellow flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive white foliage with hints of silver. The fuzzy ferny leaves are highly ornamental and remain white throughout the winter. It features abundant showy brown capsules from late summer to early winter.

Landscape Attributes

Nevin's Wooly Sunflower is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Nevin's Wooly Sunflower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Nevin's Wooly Sunflower will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.

Nevin's Wooly Sunflower makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.