Description

Canyon Gray Sagebrush (Artemisia californica 'Canyon Gray') is a natural cultivar of California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) from San Miguel Island, one of the Channel Islands in Southern California. This prostrate horticultural selection was collected and introduced by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. This plant can become a large scale ground cover, quickly forming a 1 to 2 feet high, compact mat of finely textured, silvery, gray-green foliage, that spreads 4 to 10 feet wide. It works well on dry slopes and draping down over walls, even a lawn substitute. The flowers are fairly inconspicuous, the foliage is very aromatic when brushed. Canyon Gray Sagebrush requires little irrigation once established, though it can go semi-dormant by later summer without occasional irrigation. It is reportedly hardy to about 20-25° F. It tolerates almost any soil type with drainage. It prefers full sun in coastal sites, and sun to part shade in inland sites. To keep the fast growing foliage dense, the plantings can look best if 'mowed' or heavily trimmed down every 1 or 2 years. Deer resistant. Foliage is evergreen but will become semi-deciduous during the summer if there is no irrigation.