Artemisia (pronounced /ˌɑrtɨˈmiːziə/)[2] is a large, diverse genus of plants with between 200 to 400 species belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae. It comprises hardy herbs and shrubs known for their volatile oils. They grow in temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, usually in dry or semi-dry habitats. The fern-like leaves of many species are covered with white hairs. Some botanists split the genus into several genera, but DNA analysis[3] does not support the maintenance of the genera Crossostephium, Filifolium, Neopallasia, Seriphidium, and Sphaeromeria; three other segregate genera Stilnolepis, Elachanthemum, and Kaschgaria are maintained by this evidence.
It is also said that the genus Artemisia (which includes over 400 plants) may be named after an ancient botanist. Artemisia was the wife and sister of the Greek/Persian King Mausolus from the name of whose tomb we get the word mausoleum. Artemisia, who ruled for three years after the king's death, was a botanist and medical researcher, and died in 350 B.C.[5][6]
Water to get them established, but then only sparingly. Overhead irrigation is not recommended. When new growth resumes in the spring, cut back mature plants that have become woody with a spindly look. You can divide the artemisia in the fall or early spring. Powis Castle is perennial in zones 6-8 and reaches about 3 feet tall. Late spring and early summer is a great time to plant the Artemisia, and it seems our garden centers have plenty of them in the herb section. When planting, make sure to plant at the same depth it is growing in the container.
Wormwood is the common name for Artemisia absinthium, the plant whose aromatic oil is used to make absinthe. Although absinthe contains extracts from a whole variety of different plants, wormwood oil is the key ingredient of the famed green drink, and perhaps the reason why absinthe is quite unlike any other liquor ever produced.
