Cerastium tomentosum Yo Yo

Cerastium tomentosum 'Yo Yo', also known as Mouse Ear or Snow-in-Summer, is a perennial ground cover with creeping stems that forms a fluffy grey carpet. Its soft foliage consists of fine evergreen leaves. From April to July, depending on the region, countless small white flowers appear, transforming the plant into a carpet of snow. It is a particularly floriferous cultivar, ideal for covering large areas in poor and dry soil.

Mouse Ear is a very hardy plant native to Italy and Sicily, with a wide distribution range spanning the mountains of Asia Minor, and southern and eastern Europe. 'Yo Yo' is a cultivar selected for its abundant flowering. It has a very spreading habit and creeping vegetation that allows it to quickly colonise an almost unlimited surface area. It will not exceed 15 cm (6in) in height. Its mouse-grey and fluffy foliage consists of small leaves, slightly larger than those of Cerastium tomentosum, the commonly encountered silver basket in gardens. Its growth is very vigorous, spreading via its rhizomes. Countless small white flowers appear in April-July, under which the foliage disappears.

Cerastium tomentosum prefers a dry and sunny site, as well as light and well-drained soil. It is a drought-tolerant plant and is sensitive to waterlogged soils. Place Cerastium tomentosum 'Yo Yo' at the top of walls or in the gaps between their stones. Ideal in rockeries but also alongside steps, accompanied by e.g. thyme or dwarf artemisia. It also pairs very well on a slope with other perennials and shrubs that thrive in dry soil (lavenders, cistus, rosemary, brooms, cerastostigma, valerian), which it will allow to emerge through its foliage while protecting them from adventive plants. Perfect for cultivation in pots on terraces and balconies, escaping to drape itself down their sides. Its use in green roofs is highly recommended.