Field Pussytoes

Antennaria neglecta

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.