Artemisia mauiensis

Maui Wormwood is one of those plants that once you see it, you’ve got to have it. This was certainly the case when I encountered this gorgeous Artemisia a few years ago. It has looked absolutely stunning as a single specimen in a container, thriving in all day blazing hot sunlight. Its silvery foliage has an amazingly fine texture, very soft and feather-like, and combines well with just about anything. It’s a bit surprising that Maui Wormwood performs so incredibly well in the hot and humid south given its extremely limited natural range. In the wild it is only found growing at elevations of 6,000-7,500 ft in Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Its Hawaiian name is Ahinahina and refers to its gray color.