The stems and elongated leaves of Pearly Everlasting are covered with white hairs. Clustered at the top of erect stems, the tiny yellow flowers are enclosed by white papery bracts, often mistaken for petals. The overall appearance is a pearly mound; a nice shape and color for a garden edge. Pair it with a contrasting, bright plant like Bush's Poppy Mallow for a stunning display (see photo).

There are separate male and female flowers, usually on separate plants, and they take on different gender-specific yellow or rust-yellow color. Blossoms can be dried for durable bouquets or flower arrangements as they keep their color and shape well. In the spring, this plant is a larvae host for the butterfly the American Lady- Vanessa virginensis (see photo of a surprise we found in our greenhouse one spring); you are sure to see this well-loved butterfly flying around your plants. The young larvae create a silken web around the plant to feed. This can look discouraging if you are trying to grow this plant, but like in many native plant-insect relationships, the plant generally makes a full recovery and flowers later in the summer. Flowers persist and are profuse late-summer through fall to attract numerous beneficial insects.

Pearly Everlasting is drought tolerant as it prefers full sun and dry, even rocky or poor soil conditions. Moderate shade and medium soils are also tolerated. Its native range is vast from northern Maine to Virginia in the East, and Washington to Arizona in the West.

Live Plant Shipping Table
	Spring	Fall	Age/Size
Potted 3-Packs	May/June	September	2.5" wide x 3.5" deep pots

Anaphalis margaritacea - Pearly Everlasting

Map Key

Present in state

Present but introduced in county

Present and native in county; not rare

Not present in state

Present and native in county; rare

Species extirpated (historic)

State or county listed as noxious

Present in state; exotic

This map shows the native and introduced (adventive) range of this species. Given appropriate habitat and climate, native plants can be grown outside their range.

6 Questions asked on Anaphalis margaritacea

Cole June 3

Not a question, but germination feedback: Half I germinated without stratification and the other half I did cold moist stratification in the fridge for 30 days. All the stratified seeds germinated immediately and very consistently. The unstratified seeds pretty much all germinated but over the course of about 14 days. It was a small test run but thought I would let you know.

Prairie Moon June 3

Great feedback for others! Thank you Cole!

Brooke Williams May 11

I started these from seed and had good germination success but the seedlings don't seem to be thriving. They've only developed one set of true leaves and its been a good month or more since they germinated. Is this species typically slow to develop? They are getting full sun most days. I potted them up into potting soil thinking that the seed starting medium didn't have enough nutrients but it hasn't helped.

Prairie Moon May 13

Hi Brooke. This species grows quite strongly here but we do have them in the greenhouse. Have you given them water-soluble fertilizer? That could be what they are lacking. Also, allow them to get mostly dry in between waterings. Depending where you live, you should be able to plant them outside now (mid-May); they may show more immediate satisfactory growth if they can get in the ground. They emerged here in SE MN a few weeks ago.

Erik June 8

Just a question on the silken webs described in the About section - do you have a photo? I have some grown from seed plants that are in their second year and look very wilted despite being in full sun (planted with some coneflower). I watered them to see if it would help, but I was curious if the larvae may be a better explanation.

Prairie Moon June 9

HI Erik. Good observation! Here in MN the Painted Ladies are fluttering around the plants laying their eggs. It's a dry prairie plant so unless you are in a severe drought, it shouldn't need supplemental water in its 2nd year. I'll try to find a photo to send you that we took last year of the wilted leaves with tiny larvae and webs, upon closer inspection.

Dorothy August 12

The description mention yellow or rust-yellow flower heads, depending on the sex. Which color is which sex?

Prairie Moon August 13

Hi Dorothy. One of our favorite websites, MinnesotaWildflowers.info does a good job of explaining this.

Duncan June 30

Is this an evergreen groundcover?

Prairie Moon July 2

Hi Duncan, Despite the misleading name, this is not an evergreen plant. It will go dormant in the fall and come back from the roots in the spring.

Jada February 20

Will this plant stay green throughout the summer and does it have deep roots? I want to replace a non-native liriope plant that I have at the bottom of a slope. It currently helps to hold soil in a flower bed that runs along the walk leading to my front door. Thank you!

Prairie Moon February 20

Hi Jada. Pearly Everlasting keeps its fanciful silvery-green color throughout the summer months. It will often spread quite aggressively from the roots, making it a great competitor for non-native plants as well as erosion control. It is also a host plant for American Lady butterflies; the adults are lovely, but the caterpillars spin webs and consume the plants, leaving them looking rather ragged in the heat of summer. Pearly Everlasting plants quickly rebound and look lovely again by the time fall comes around.

Seed

Growing your own plants from seed is the most economical way to add natives to your home. Before you get started, one of the most important things to know about the seeds of wild plants is that many have built-in dormancy mechanisms that prevent the seed from germinating. In nature, this prevents a population of plants from germinating all at once, before killing frosts, or in times of drought. To propagate native plants, a gardener must break this dormancy before seed will grow.

Each species is different, so be sure to check the GERMINATION CODE listed on the website, in the catalog, or on your seed packet. Then, follow the GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS prior to planting. Some species don't need any pre-treatment to germinate, but some species have dormancy mechanisms that must be broken before the seed will germinate. Some dormancy can be broken in a few minutes, but some species take months or even years.

Seed dormancy can be broken artificially by prolonged refrigeration of damp seed in the process of cold/moist STRATIFICATION. A less complicated approach is to let nature handle the stratifying through a dormant seeding, sowing seeds on the surface of a weed-free site in late fall or winter. Tucked safely beneath the snow, seeds will be conditioned by weathering to make germination possible in subsequent growing seasons.

To learn more, read our BLOG: How to Germinate Native Seeds

Dormant Bare Root Plants

We dig plants when they are dormant from our outdoor beds and ship them April-May and October. Some species go dormant in the summer and we can ship them July/August. We are among the few still employing this production method, which is labor intensive but plant-friendly. They arrive to you dormant, with little to no top-growth (bare-root), packed in peat moss. They should be planted as soon as possible. Unlike greenhouse-grown plants, bare-root plants can be planted during cold weather or anytime the soil is not frozen. A root photo is included with each species to illustrate the optimal depth and orientation. Planting instructions/care are also included with each order.

Download: Installing Your Bare-Root Plants

Potted Plants

3-packs and trays of 32, 38, or 50 plants leave our Midwest greenhouses based on species readiness (being well-rooted for transit) and order date; Spring shipping is typically early May through June, and Fall shipping is mid-August through September. Potted 3-packs and trays of 38 plugs are started from seed in the winter so are typically 3-4 months old when they ship. Trays of 32/50 plugs are usually overwintered so are 1 year old. Plant tray cells are approximately 2” wide x 5” deep in the trays of 38 and 50, and 2.5" wide x 3.5" deep in the 3-packs and trays of 32; ideal for deep-rooted natives. Full-color tags and planting & care instructions are included with each order.

Download: Planting and Care of Potted Plants

*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.

Shipping & Handling Charges

SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!

Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)

BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)

TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).

**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.

Shipping Season

SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.

BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.

POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.

Delivery

We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.

FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.

Pearly Everlasting

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