Pearly everlasting is a rhizomatous perennial native across North America and parts of Asia. Its stems and leaves are coated in white woolly hairs, and the flower heads consist of papery white bracts surrounding small yellow centers. Cut stems hold their form and color for months, making this a dependable dried-flower crop. It is also a documented larval host plant for the American painted lady butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on the foliage.
The plant colonizes readily by rhizomes and thrives in disturbed ground, open slopes, roadsides, and meadows. It tolerates poor, dry soil and handles drought once established. Rich or persistently wet soil encourages rank growth and weakens its natural compact habit. Divide clumps every two to three years to contain spread and refresh vigor. Cold-hardy to zone 3a, it is frequently found in subalpine habitats across its native range.
Several Native American peoples applied poultices of leaves and stems to burns, wounds, and rheumatic joints, and prepared infusions for coughs and respiratory complaints. Dried stems were burned as a fumigant. The flower heads also yield a yellow-gold dye when used as a natural colorant.
Ecoregions:Northern ForestsNorthwestern Forested MountainsMarine West Coast ForestEastern Temperate ForestsNorth American DesertsMediterranean California
These dates are for Zone 6b. Enter your ZIP to time every job to your own frost dates.
- cut · Any time in fallCut spent stems to the ground in late fall, or leave standing through winter to provide structure and seed for birds.
- cut · Feb 27Cut old stems to the ground as new basal shoots emerge.
- plant · Mar 27Divide established clumps by separating rooted rhizome sections and replanting 18–24 in apart.
- watch · Any time in summerMonitor rhizome spread along bed edges; remove unwanted shoots at the soil line to contain the colony.
- cut · Any time in summerHarvest stems for drying when the papery bracts are fully formed but before the yellow centers begin shedding pollen.
- watch · Any time in summerCheck foliage for American painted lady caterpillars; leave them undisturbed as this is a documented larval host plant.
Problems & troubleshooting
Common problems
Powdery mildew
White or grey powdery coating on leaves - usually starting on older growth in humid conditions or when nights cool.
Improve air circulation by thinning plants. Apply neem oil or potassium bicarbonate spray at first sign. Avoid overhead watering.
Rust
Orange to brown raised pustules on the undersides of leaves, with yellow spotting on the upper surface. Heavy infections cause leaves to yellow and drop.
Remove and destroy infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering and improve air circulation. Apply a sulfur or copper-based fungicide if it spreads. Clear plant debris in fall.
Root rot
Plants wilt, yellow, and stunt even in moist soil; lower stems and roots turn brown, soft, and mushy and the plant may collapse. Most common in heavy, wet, or poorly drained ground.
Improve drainage and stop overwatering, and never plant too deep. Lift and destroy badly affected plants along with the soil around the roots. Grow in raised or free-draining beds to prevent it returning.