Snow-in-Summer
Snow-in-Summer
Snow-in-Summer

Multi Buy

Size Guide
3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Snow-in-Summer

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title
Evoke the cool magic of a fresh winter snowfall right in the heat of summer! This breathtaking groundcover forms a dense, sprawling carpet of luminous, silver-grey, woolly foliage that stays soft and shimmering all year round. In late spring, this metallic silver canvas completely vanishes beneath a dense, dazzling blanket of hundreds of star-like, pure white blossoms with notched petals. Sizzling in the bright sun, it brings a clean, high-contrast radiance and exquisite texture to rock walls, borders, and garden paths.
Size

Visit Us

Delivery

Warranty

Plant Details

Mature Size:

8" H x 24" W

Zone:

3-7

Watering:

Low

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Fast

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Woolly Mouse-Ear Chickweed, Silver Carpet, and Jerusalem Star

Scientific Name:

Cerastium tomentosum

Type:

Spiller / Groundcover

Growth Details:

Mature Size: Keeps a low foliage profile of 6–8 inches tall (reaching up to 10 inches when in full bloom) with an aggressive, trailing spread of 12–24 inches.

Growth Habit & Form: Prostrate, creeping, and mat-forming, creating a densely interwoven, carpet-like cushion that smothers weeds.

Growth Rate: Fast-growing groundcover that quickly blankets bare earth and open garden gaps within a single season.

Flowering & Flower Colour: Produces an abundance of small, star-shaped, five-petaled blossoms in a brilliant, crisp white with tiny yellow centers.

Flowering Time: A show-stopping, prolific bloom cycle blankets the foliage from late spring through early summer (May to June).

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Unfiltered, open full sun is essential to keep the reflective silver foliage bright and prevent the center of the plant from rotting.

Soil Preferences: Thrives flawlessly in poor, infertile, sandy, gravelly, or sharply draining rocky soil textures.

Soil Tolerance: Highly tolerant of alkaline, acidic, and nutrient-depleted soils, but has zero tolerance for heavy, wet clay or areas where water pools.

Watering: Minimal water intervention; rely entirely on natural rainfall and water manually only during severe, multi-week droughts.

Container Role: Functions as an exceptional, cascading silver "Spiller" along the outer rims of stone urns, troughs, or retaining wall planters.

Special Features:

Resistances: Outstanding built-in resistance to browsing deer, rabbits, and common insect pests due to the fine, hairy texture of its foliage.

Tolerances: Exceptional resistance to severe drought, intense sun-baking heat, poor soils, and high urban air pollution.

Weed Suppressor: The dense, interlocking root and stem system knits together so tightly that it naturally blocks out competing weeds once established.
Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Masses of highly showy white blossoms completely cover the plant for weeks in spring, turning it into a solid sheet of white.

Fall Colour: The woolly, needle-like silver-grey leaves retain their clean, luminous coloration all through autumn without fading.

Winter Interest: True evergreen; the dense silver carpet holds its structure and colour through the winter months, providing excellent contrast against bare dirt or snow.

Garden Value:

This plant delivers massive landscaping and ornamental value by acting as a brilliant, light-reflective groundcover that brightens up sun-baked garden spaces. It is heavily utilized for modern rock gardens, alpine beds, planting directly into the crevices of dry stone walls, framing steep sunny slopes for erosion control, and defining the front edge of perennial borders where it cascades beautifully over concrete or stone pathways.

Wildlife & Human Value:

  • Wildlife Value: The early-summer blanket of white flowers acts as a rich nectar source for beneficial insects, drawing in honeybees, small native solitary bees, and butterflies.
  • Human Value: Provides a beautiful, zero-mowing alternative to grass turf on steep, sunny hillsides, drastically reduces summer watering bills, and adds immense architectural, cool-toned contrast to modern stone landscapes.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, or early autumn to let roots establish before winter.

Spacing: Space individual starter plugs 12 to 18 inches apart to give them plenty of room to spread into a seamless silver carpet.

Location Tips: Select elevated beds, slopes, or gravelly zones with premium drainage; strictly avoid low spots where rainwater collects.

Companion Plants: Pairs exquisitely with other sun-loving, low-water perennials like Sedums (such as Sedum 'Dragon's Blood'), creeping Thyme, Lavender, Blue Fescue grass, and Rock Cress (Aubrieta).

Care:

Light Requirements: Demands full, blazing sun, requiring at least 6 hours of unshaded direct sunlight daily to maintain its intense silver color and tight, compact form.

Moisture Requirements: Extremely low moisture needs once established; the soil must be allowed to dry out completely between waterings to prevent root rot.

Maintenance & Fertilization: Strictly zero-maintenance; never use heavy fertilizers as they cause the dense carpet to grow weak, loose, and leggy. Give the entire plant a aggressive shearing with hedge trimmers immediately after the spring flowers fade to remove spent blooms, refresh the woolly silver leaves, and maintain a neat, tight mound.

Tolerances:

Drought, Intense Heat, Poor Dry Soils, Alkaline Soils, Shallow Rocky Soils, Air Pollution, Deer, and Rabbits.

Tips For Success:

The Post-Bloom Haircut: Do not skip shearing this plant back after it finishes flowering; cutting it back by half prevents the center from getting bare or woody and forces a tight flush of beautiful new silver leaves.

Avoid Organic Mulch: Never use heavy wood mulch around this plant as it traps moisture against the woolly leaves, causing them to turn mushy; use pea gravel or crushed stone instead.

Control the Spread: Because it spreads rapidly via creeping stems, simply pull up or trim back the edges of the mat in spring if it starts to creep over smaller, delicate neighbouring plants.
Fruit Profile