Nuttall's Pussytoes

Year-round

Siting, soil, watering baseline, size, and host-plant facts for small-leaf pussytoes in Lubbock.

• Small-leaf pussytoes is a low mat-forming perennial with silver-gray leaves that stays under about 6 inches tall. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists Texas within its native range.
• The Wildflower Center lists sun to shade and low water on dry soil. In Lubbock's hot, windy climate, sun with a little afternoon shade is a good middle ground.
• Plant it in well-drained sandy or rocky soil. It spreads by stolons into a dense mat and does well on poor, dry sites where fussier plants struggle.
• Once established it needs very little extra water. Water new plants regularly through their first season, then back off.
• The Wildflower Center lists it as a larval host for the painted lady butterfly.

Fall

Fall planting and mat tidying in Lubbock.

• Fall is a good planting window since cooler weather lets roots settle in before winter.
• Seed sown in fall gets the cold period it needs to germinate, and the seed needs light, so press it onto the soil surface rather than burying it.
• Trim off spent flower stems once they finish and pull out any weeds that crept into the mat.
• Ease off watering as nights cool. The Lubbock area's first frost usually arrives in early November.

A mat edging a front walkway looks tidy when you shear off spent flower stems in fall, and it keeps the planting looking tended.

Winter

Winter hardiness and low-care dormancy in Lubbock.

• The silver-gray leaves stay on through winter, so the mat keeps some color even in cold months.
• This is a hardy Rocky Mountain and Plains species, so Lubbock's winter freezes are not a problem for it.
• Winter water is only needed in a long dry stretch, and then just a light soak on a mild day.
• Avoid piling mulch or leaves on top of the mat, since trapped moisture can rot it. Gravel mulch around it is a better fit.

Spring

Spring planting, division, and early growth in Lubbock.

• Spring is a good time to plant or divide mats once the last hard freeze has passed, usually around mid April on the South Plains.
• Divide stolons or basal rosettes to make new plants, and set them in gritty, well-drained soil.
• Water new divisions every week or so until they root in, then let the soil dry between waterings.
• Painted lady caterpillars may chew a few leaves. Light damage is normal on a host plant.

Summer

Summer heat, wind, and bloom in Lubbock.

• Small creamy flower heads on 6 inch stems open from July through September, per the Wildflower Center.
• Lubbock summers are hot and dry. Established mats handle drought well, but a deep soak every couple of weeks in a long dry spell keeps the leaves from browning.
• If the spot gets punishing afternoon sun and reflected heat, light afternoon shade helps the mat stay silvery and full.
• Skip fertilizer and rich compost. Lean, well-drained soil keeps the mat tight.

Year-round

Year-round care for Nuttall's pussytoes around Tucson, AZ: sun to shade, dry soil.

• The Wildflower Center lists sun, part shade or shade.
• Soil moisture is listed as dry and water use as low.
• It reaches up to about 6 inches tall.
• The page gives no hardiness or heat limits, so treat it as a trial plant in a hot low-desert yard.

A low carpet under 6 inches suits the front of a bed.

Year-round

Year-round care for Nuttall's pussytoes around Valentine: full sun, well drained sandy or rocky soil, and little water once established.

• Give it full sun. It tolerates very light shade, and the Wildflower Center lists sun to shade.
• Plant it in well-drained sandy or rocky soil. It adapts to poor, dry conditions.
• Water use is low. It needs minimal extra water once established.
• Expect a low plant about 2 to 8 inches tall, with a grayish basal rosette.
• It can be propagated by dividing its stolons.
• Small whitish flower clusters appear from July through September.

A low silver-gray mat stays under a few inches tall, so it reads as a neat edging or groundcover along a walk or border.