“Make new friends but keep the old.” If you remember the rest of this old rhyme, you’ll know that new friends are silver, which fits in perfectly with this year’s color trends in foliage. Yes, plants with silver foliage are all the rage, including the new variety Senecio candicans ‘Crushed Velvet.’ If you’ve never heard of it, you’re in for a treat. Read on for more information about the Crushed Velvet plant including tips on how to grow Crushed Velvet.
About Crushed Velvet Dusty Miller
It’s a unique and exciting look, whether in your garden beds or as a houseplant. The soft, bluish silver foliage offered by Senecio ‘Crushed Velvet’ plants will turn heads and complement more vivid garden hues.
Impressive both in the landscape and in containers, Crushed Velvet creates a dense silver mound of foliage. Each leaf is as soft and fuzzy as a teddy bear.
Also known as Crushed Velvet dusty miller, the plants grow in a sort of vase shape to about 16 inches (40 cm.) high. They have a spread about half that size.
These dusty miller plants are tender perennials that offer yellow flowers in summer. Plant them outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. In other zones, you can grow them as annuals or in a container indoors.
How to Grow Crushed Velvet
If you are wondering how to grow Crushed Velvet, you’ll be happy to hear that it is very easy. The first thing to do is check your hardiness zone. That way you will know right off if you have the option of growing them outdoors.
Whether you use Crushed Velvet plants indoors or out, plant them in light, well-draining soil. They prefer a sunny location, but if your summers are hot, select a site with a little shade in the heat of the afternoon.
Drought tolerant and fast growing, Crushed Velvet dusty miller plants require plentiful light to thrive. Site them where they get some winter protection.
