Snow in Summer

• 15 Aug, 2007
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A memory of childhood and looks great against our purple ornamental salvia
Snow-in-summer plants get their common name from their blooming habit. They bloom profusely in the early summer, and the flowers are a pristine white with little notches cut into them. But their name doesn't tell the whole story. Cerastium tomentosum is as admired for its delicate, wooly, silvery foliage as for its flowers. Height 6"-12", width 12"-18". Spreads quickly by reseeding itself and producing runners.
Snow-in-summer plants prefer sun and thrive in well-drained, poor soil. These perennial flowers are drought-tolerant.
After they have dumped their "snowfall" of white blooms in early summer, trim away the faded blooms and some of the foliage to keep snow-in-summer plants looking attractive all summer. They are grown as much for the silvery carpet their foliage can provide as for their attractive flowers.