Artemisia vulgaris 'Janlim' ORIENTAL LIMELIGHT

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Common Name: wormwood
Zone: 4 to 8
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: None
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Spread: 1.5 to 2.5 feet
Bloom Time: August - September
Bloom Color: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium


Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Uses: Wildlife: Flowers: Leaves: Fruit:
Hedge Suitable as annual Attracts birds Has showy flowers Leaves colorful Has showy fruit
Shade tree Culinary herb Attracts Has fragrant flowers Leaves fragrant Fruit edible
Street tree Vegetable hummingbirds Flowers not showy Good fall color Other:
Flowering tree Water garden plant Attracts Good cut flower Evergreen Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1') Will naturalize butterflies Good dried flower Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Best grown in poor to moderately fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Excellent soil drainage is essential for growing this plant well. Does poorly in moist to wet soils where plants are susceptible to root rot. Plant stems tend to lodge (fall) in summer, especially if grown in fertile soils and/or part shade. General foliage decline commonly occurs in high humidity summer climates such as the St. Louis area. If foliage declines or stems flop in summer, plants may be sheared to revitalize. ORIENTAL LIMELIGHT is reported to be less aggressive than the species.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

ORIENTAL LIMELIGHT is noted for its yellow and green variegated foliage. It is a generally upright cultivar that typically grows in a mounded clump 2-3' tall and as wide, but may spread further in the garden by rhizomes. Finely-dissected, variegated leaves are lemon yellow splashed with green. Leaves are aromatic when bruised. The tiny, somewhat inconspicuous, whitish, discoid flower heads (rays absent) which appear in dense panicles at the stem ends in summer have little ornamental value. Species is a green-leaved, somewhat weedy perennial that is native to Europe, but has naturalized as a roadside weed throughout much of the eastern and Midwestern United States including Missouri. The species is commonly called mugwort. Species plants were used in Europe to flavor beer before the use of hops. Species plants also have a long history of folk medicine uses for treatment of a variety of medical impairments including intestinal worms (hence the other common name of wormwood). 'Janlim' is the cultivar name of this plant, however it is being marketed for sale under the trade name of ORIENTAL LIMELIGHT.

Problems: Click for detailed list of pests and problems.

Foliage may decline and plant stems may flop in summer. This cultivar is reportedly less susceptible to flop than the species. Susceptible to root rot in moist soils, particularly poorly drained ones.

Uses:

Variegated yellow and green foliage provides excellent contrast to flowering plants and green foliage in borders and herb gardens. Good selection for areas with poor dry soils.

Contact Information

William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening
Missouri Botanical Garden
St. Louis, Missouri.

Phone: (314) 577-5143
Email: plantinformation@mobot.org

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