Artemisia 'Powis Castle' or Mugwort/Wormwood.
Is an easy hardy perennial plant to grow and has silvery feathery foliage which looks good when planted in clumps with pink or blue flowering perennials.
It prefers to grow in a sunny spot in well-drained soil.
It will grow to 90cm or 36 inches and has flowers on from late July to the beginning of September.
Here are some details of Powis castle and its gardens that this artemisia was named after.
Powis Castle is a medieval castle built in the 1200’s by Welsh princes. The famous terraces and hanging gardens set on the precipitous slope below the castle were almost certainly built at the end of the seventeenth century.
The gardens are very steep so be warned if you are visiting but the views of both the gardens and the surrounding countryside aew well worth the effort!
It is a garden that is interesting whatever the season.
There are many ancient yew trees (which alone take six weeks to trim) and glorious borders. The garden grows a wide selection of tender perennials.
It is most famous for the ancient topiary yew trees which have grown into marvellous shapes over the centuries.
Walking through the richly planted terraces with many species roses and ornamental statues, you are transported back to an age when the formal ordered garden was the height of popularity in Britain and you can see the influence of Italian style.
The lower area contains a water garden, a kitchen garden and a flower garden. There is also a wilderness garden with a large collection of rhodendrons.
If you have the time the inside of the castle is well worth seeing. There are some wonderful apintings, tapestries, furniture and Indian treasures.
It also has a long gallery where Elizabethen women would take their exercise when the weather was inclement and a ballroom.
Although Powis Castle now belongs to The National Trust there is an apartment still solely for the use of the present Earl of Powis.
. Tall formal hedges in the lower gardens at Powis Castle.
Enjoy your Garden.
