It spreads by underground stems, so it can creep a little bit in your gardens. It does require well-drained soil so make sure you have well-drained soil for this plant. It’s very drought tolerant and low water use, but regular watering will keep it healthier. But don’t overdo that watering. If it does up and die very quickly on you, the cause is most likely from root rot from overwatering. It’s very heat tolerant and it tolerates full sun to light shade.
Winter: stays green but gets very leggy, with the bottom branches turning black.
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ hybrid wormwood grows 2 feet high and 3 feet wide best in zones 6–10, herbaceous perennial in zone 5 in the West special attributes: A mounding subshrub that remains handsome all year, ‘Powis Castle’ wormwood is treasured for its dense habit and finely divided silver-felted leaves. This nonflowering hybrid is more tolerant of heat and humidity, and longer lived than other artemisias. Shear to maintain dense rounded form or allow to drape and sprawl.”
— Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for all Climates by Scott Ogden, Lauren Springer Ogden
https://a.co/itq5ivq
Notes: I have purchased two batches of Artemisia that both died in their first year. I do not remember what variety they were, but they were not Powis Castle. If I recall, they just couldn't take the hot dry summer. Then in 2017 I found five of Powis Castle for a dollar and decided to give this variety (the one recommended for Central Texas) a go. They did fine during the heat in the summers, and two years later, are doing well. I did almost lose one, not sure why. When I pruned them back, I found one significantly smaller than the others.
Pruning: Notes say to cut the Artemisia back to 4 inches in the winter. I have to admit, I have not had the guts to do this, as that would leave just a bunch of sticks with no leaves. I even watched a youtube video showing a guy really cutting his back. But still... Early March 2019, I pruned one of my five plants back to about six inches, leaving a few green stalks on top. I left the other four Artemisia untouched. The pruned Artemisia started developing lots of growth on the bottom "sticks" two weeks later, while the others did not. I then pruned back the others.
Growth: Notes indicate the plant should be 1ft x 4ft. They have definitely reached their one foot height, but after two years, are still only about one foot wide. I pruned them back a lot this year (2019), so we will see how they do.
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