Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae - seeds

Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae, better known as Mouse Ear or Snow-in-Summer, is a creeping perennial with spreading stems that quickly forms an elegant grey and fluffy carpet. Its compound foliage of fine leaves usually persists in winter. In spring or summer, depending on the region, the carpet is adorned with a multitude of white flowers. It is a low and particularly floriferous variety, ideal for covering large areas in poor and dry soil. This Cerastium excels in rockeries, bordering flower beds, or in flower pots where it forms an ideal companion plant.

The Mouse Ear is a very hardy plant native to Italy and Sicily, with a wide distribution range in the mountains of Asia Minor and southern and eastern Europe. This species, which is highly variable in the wild, has allowed the selection of certain wild forms such as 'columnae', which is more compact and floriferous than the type, with more silvery foliage. This perennial plant has a truly carpeting habit and a running growth that allows it to quickly colonise an almost unlimited surface. It will not exceed 10 cm high. Its fluffy, mouse-grey foliage consists of small leaves which are slightly more silvery than that of Cerastium tomentosum, the common Snow-in-Summer found in gardens. Its growth is very vigorous, spreading thanks to its rootstock. In May-June, countless small white flowers appear and cover the foliage.

Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae prefers dry and sunny locations with well-drained, preferably limestone soils. It is a drought-tolerant plant that dislikes stagnant moisture. Place it on top of walls or in the gaps formed by their stones, in rockeries of course, but also along a staircase, accompanied by thymes or dwarf artemisia 'Nana', for example. On a slope, it also pairs well with perennials and shrubs that thrive in dry soil (lavenders, rockroses, rosemary, brooms, garden valerian), which it will allow to emerge from its carpet while protecting them from weeds. It is perfect for growing in pots on your terraces and balconies, where it will escape and create living curtains. Its use in green roofs is highly recommended.