I have a mature silver mound that has split in the center.?

Question

Looks like there is new growth in the center? What do I do about the branches that have split? Each one is clearly alive - looks like I can do something with them, but don't know what. Basically each branch has no leaves for about 10-12" then the leaves on each end for about 5-6".

Alright - thank you - I did not prune it at all during growing season and I did notice that last winter (zone 5) it died to the ground and came back as truly a beautiful mound. So, I will attribute this to no pruning and end of growing season. Question now - how do I use the leggy stems to start new plants? Root in water? Root in soil? Growth hormone? Special cuts?

Answer 1

By the way, I dissent.
Silver mound (Artemesia) is a shrublet (a perennial with semi-woody branches) that prefers a hot, dry location.

When ever silvermound gets leggy, or 'bald headed' (bare in the center, with foliage around the outside) I contribute it more to lack of sunlight, or even more so, too much water. Silvermound thrives in terrible soil (dry and sandy). It does need water, but needs to dry out between waterings. Also, if it gets too much fertilizer, that will accelerate growth, which will lead to a leggy condition.

Check it's location out, but sunny and dry is ideal.

I too live in USDA hardiness zone 5. We seldom have branch survival (it does happen during mild winters), so naturally it will die back, or get cut back. Each spring it'll look great, but by summer it will thin out, if it's getting too much water.

Push the stems into the soil, or mound some topsoil over them. Anchor them to the ground with fabric pegs/ staples (used to hold down landscape fabric). There might be enough time to root some of those leggy stems, and increase the number of plants you have.

Good luck-
I hope that this helps

Answer 2

Are you talking about silver mound Artemisia?
I don't know if you've ever done it, but Artemisia can and should be pruned on a regular basis to keep it more compact and full. If you leave it to grow wild then you end up with leggy and un attractive mounds that stretch 10 or more feet across.
I prune mine at least three times during the growing season which is really more like giving it a hair cut. I cut it into the size and shape I like and it seems to really like it. So, my suggestion would be to prune it back a bit. I don't know what zone you are in, but in zones with winters, silver mound Artemisia dies back to the ground so you could just wait until next spring to start your pruning. The split probably happened from the branches getting too heavy or some animal decided to nap right in the middle of it. My dogs used to nap in mine until I gave them their own part of the yard.
Anyhow, good luck and I hope this helped some.

You can propagate Silver mound through seeds, division of the root ball, or pinning the branches to the soil with garden staples or just placing a rock on top of the branch. After a couple of weeks check the branch for roots. If there are roots then you can separate it from the host plant and put it where ever you like.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Silver Mound

Answer 4

Dig up the silver mound, cut off all the stems. You will be left with a clump. You can now split the plant into two pieces and replant each new plant. Silver mound gets this way toward the end of the season. If you do not want to make two plants out of it, leave it in the ground and cut all the stems off. It will c ome back...