Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears Cerastium alpinum 'var. lanatum' Height: 3 inches Spread: 8 inches
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Hardiness Zone: 3a Other Names: Alpine Chickweed Description: This dwarf selection has interesting fuzzy textured 'mouse-ear' foliage with pretty white flowers in spring; this drought resistant plant is great in rock and alpine gardens Ornamental Features Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears is blanketed in stunning white bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems in early summer. Its attractive tiny tomentose round leaves remain grayish green in colour throughout the year. Landscape Attributes Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics. Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears will grow to be only 3 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round. This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation. Wooly Alpine Mouse Ears is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.
