Tips for Growing Silverweed
The silverweed flower, also known as Argentina, is a member of the rose family. This plant has leaves with jagged edges and small yellow flowers of five petals. What gives the plant’s name is the lustrous, silvery tinge to the leaves on the underside. Considered a wildflower, the silverweed can be easily grown in your garden if you love wildflowers and plants with unique leaves. This is an ideal plant for growing near stone walls, fences, or even gates. The flowers blossom during the summer season. A native of the southern states, the silverweed can adapt to any region of the United States where it is warm enough during the summer for it to grow.
The silverweed can be grown from small plants or seeds. If you choose to grow them from seeds, start them indoors several weeks before the last frost. You can use small starter plant holders, or empty egg cartons. Plants the seeds in each section, lightly pressing down the soil, then watering, keeping them in a sunny area during the germination process. Once the plants are big enough, between three and four inches high, they can then be transplanted out of doors in the warm spring ground. Before transplanting, it may be beneficial to add some sand or gravel to the well drained soil before planting the young silverweed plants. Silverweeds like the full sun, and the leaves will shimmer with their undersides exposed to the sunlight. The tiny hairs seen on the underside of the leaves is what gives them the silvery appearance. Allow from 12″ to 18″ space in between each plant.
One drawback of growing silverweed is that it can spread quickly after each season when it reseeds itself. Undesired plants can be removed to keep them under control. Silverweed will also grow better if they are not crowded together. The other way to keep them under control is to remove the seeds from the plants before they can reach the ground. The easiest way to do this is to cut off the heads where the seeds develop at the end of the growing season. The silverweed can still be enjoyed as a flower, however. The root of the silverweed is edible so this is also an alternative use for those individual plants that may overtake your garden. Simply clean off the roots, boil them, and add them in stews or soups.
Image Credit: Sannse, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Wikimedia Commons unported license.
