Pearl everlasting
A. margaritacea is a clump forming rhizomatous perennial, originally from Asia and North America. It has green leaves which are woolly and white underneath and appear on the erect flowering stems which are 18-24in in height.
The attraction of this plant to gardeners, apart from its hardiness and reliability, is that it usually flowers on and on from midsummer well into autumn. The flowers themselves appear white but, within the large (6in) and dense flower heads, the individual flowers are yellow and the white surrounds merely bracts.
So this plant provides foliage contrast and ‘everlasting’ colour to the herbaceous border or rock garden.
These plants need to be grown in full sun for best effect in a well-drained soil that does not completely dry out.
Propagation is easiest by digging individual clumps and dividing them in early spring.