The 'Cragg-Barber Eye' cultivar of wormwood stands out from the common roadside artemisia with its striking golden leaves and ethereal white plumes of summer flowers. This hardy perennial reaches 24 to 36 inches tall and wide, thriving in zones 4-8 where it brings both ornamental beauty and historical significance to the garden. Ready for harvest in 85 days, this drought-tolerant herb carries centuries of European tradition while offering modern gardeners a unique specimen that deer and rabbits avoid.
24
Full Sun
Moderate
4-8
36in H x 24in W
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Moderate
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What sets 'Cragg-Barber Eye' apart is its golden foliage that glows against the more common silvery artemisias, creating luminous contrast in herb gardens and naturalized plantings. The cultivar produces small white discoid flowers in astilbe-like plumes during mid-summer, adding unexpected elegance to this historically utilitarian herb. Its remarkable tolerance for drought, poor soil, and deer pressure makes it an exceptional choice for challenging garden spots where other perennials struggle.
This aromatic herb serves primarily ornamental purposes in modern gardens, where its golden foliage and drought tolerance make it valuable for naturalized plantings and ground cover. The plant's strong, bitter aroma naturally repels insects, making it useful as a pest deterrent when planted strategically around garden borders. While historically important in herbal medicine and beverage production, today's gardeners appreciate it more for its visual impact and deer-resistant qualities in challenging landscape situations.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date, pressing them lightly into the surface of moist soil since light aids germination.
Transplant outdoors when seedlings are sturdy and all danger of frost has passed, spacing them 18 to 24 inches apart.
Harvest aromatic leaves and stems after 85 days when the plant reaches full maturity, typically in late summer. Cut stems in the morning after dew has dried but before the heat of the day to capture peak aromatic oils. The bitter, toxic nature of the leaves makes them unsuitable for culinary use in quantity, though they can be dried for their insect-repelling properties.
Trim back plants in midsummer to encourage branching and maintain a bushier habit, preventing the natural tendency for stems to lodge or flop. Shear plants when foliage declines in hot, humid weather to stimulate fresh growth. Promptly deadhead flowers to prevent unwanted self-seeding and maintain the plant's ornamental appearance.
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“'Cragg-Barber Eye' is an unpatented cultivar that emerged from the long lineage of Artemisia vulgaris, a species that European settlers brought to North America in the early 1600s as an essential herbal plant. The parent species has naturalized across southern Canada and much of the United States, spreading from the original European colonies to the Pacific Northwest. This golden-leafed selection represents a modern ornamental development from a plant that once flavored beer before hops became common, served as a vermifuge to expel intestinal worms, and treated painful finger infections called felons.”