Artemisia lactiflora Jim Russell

The Artemisia lactiflora 'Jim Russell' is the most elegant of the Chinese artemisias: with its black and arched stems laden with a feathery flowering of pure white, dominating its finely cut foliage until late summer, this tall, airy perennial that comes alive in the wind. Plant it at the back of the border in a wild and romantic style, with tall asters, queens of the meadow or goldenrods.

Artemisia lactiflora is a plant species native to western China and belongs to the large family of Asters. Unlike many other artemisias, this plant prefers relatively cool and moist soils, while it dislikes hot environments. 'Jim Russell' is a particularly decorative horticultural selection with a flexible habit. Its white flowering contrasts with the black floral stems, making it even more attractive. 

It is a tall herbaceous perennial that quickly and readily forms a beautiful shrub reaching a height of 1.40m (5ft) when in flower with a width of 70 cm (28in). Its habit is very bushy. The stems bear decorative and aromatic finely cut foliage, composed of significantly finely cut leaves of medium green colour. Flowering takes place from July-August to October. Above the foliage of the long, dark and arched floral stems, there are long, paniculate branches which are somewhat loose and adorned with many small white bell-shaped flowers. Artemisia 'Jim Russell' is a hardy and deciduous plant that goes dormant in late autumn, with its vegetation completely drying up. It then reappears in spring.

This graceful, poetic and unpretentious plant is perfect for a wild-style country garden and in all borders where naturalness prevails over rigidity. It also integrates well into a minimalist-style setting alongside grasses. Delicately exotic, it brings a lot of lightness and verticality to flower or shrub borders. Chinese artemisia 'Jim Russell' pairs well with Sneezeworts, tall asters, wood chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing), or even goldenrods (Solidago Golden Mosa).

Artemisias are known for their healing properties in both Western and Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, they are compressed and rolled to heat specific acupuncture points. Artemisias are commonly associated with Absinthe or the Green Fairy in our culture. Although Absinthe had a bad reputation, it has regained popularity since its ban was lifted.