Field Pussytoes
Antennaria neglecta
A silver-gray mat just 2 to 4 inches tall for dry, sunny ground, with soft white pom-pom flowers in spring. Hosts the American Painted Lady.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Ultra-compact silver native groundcover for the driest sunny spots. and a larval host for American Painted Lady butterflies.
Field Pussytoes is smaller and more compact than Plantainleaf Pussytoes, forming a tight silver-gray mat 2 to 4 inches tall that spreads gently across dry, open, sunny ground. The spring flowers are the same soft white pom-pom clusters, appearing in April and May on short stems. The woolly, silvery leaves are the main ornamental feature for the rest of the season, a carpet of soft gray-green that catches light differently from most other groundcovers. It grows naturally in old fields, roadsides, and rocky or sandy open ground throughout the northern US, conditions it handles better than almost any other flowering groundcover. Planted in mass it creates an unusual silvery texture that contrasts beautifully with bolder plants. Like the plantain-leaf species, it's a larval host for the American Painted Lady butterfly. An underused plant that deserves more attention in dry, sunny garden design.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown field pussytoes propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 2–6 in · 12–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- Spring
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native range
- Northern and central North America, from Quebec south to Virginia, west to Montana
Care notes for field pussytoes.
Plant in full sun in very dry, lean, well-drained soil. Cannot tolerate wet or heavy conditions. Spreads slowly by stolons. No maintenance needed in appropriate conditions. Mow lightly after bloom if you want a tidier appearance. Plant in masses of at least 5-7 for visual impact. Completely self-sufficient once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside field pussytoes.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
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Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.