Pearly Everlasting is a beautiful, upright, clump-forming native perennial with attractive gray-green leaves. The underside of the leaves is white and woolly, giving this plant a cooling effect in the garden, especially when planted with bright, hot-colored flowers. Their own flowers are clustered at the tips of the erect, unbranched stems and resemble little pearls with yellow centers. They are among the very best native flowers for drying and using in floral arrangements, hence the common name. In the garden, it is an undemanding, well-behaved plant that offers highly prized color contrast and cute, "everlasting" little flowers that attract pollinators and gardeners alike. The caterpillars of the American Lady butterfly host on Pearly Everlasting, webbing themselves up into protective little cocoons of foliage to defend against predation. The beautiful adult butterflies hover around the plants as well, swooping in for drinks of nectar. This is a great plant to introduce children to the world of Lepidoptera! Pearly Everlastings need well-drained soil to thrive. They can tolerate moist to dry soil and become drought-tolerant once established. Mammals tend to avoid the unpalatable aromatic foliage.
Sources:
Herbaceous Perennial Plants by Allan M. Armitage
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plant Trust
