Snow-in-Summer

Cerastium

Cerastium alpinum ssp lanatum
A low, spreading perennial, reaching up to 8 x 16 inches.
The flat leaves are gray and woolly.
The starry white flowers are borne during summer.
Hardy zones 2 to 7 in full sun. It requires a climate that is cool in summer.

Cerastium biebersteinii ( Taurus Cerastium )
A spreading, mat-forming, evergreen perennial, reaching up to 16 inches x 2 feet, that is native to Asia Minor. The very attractive, lance-shaped leaves, up to 2 x 0.3 inches, are intensely silvery-gray.
The white flowers, up to 1 inch across, are borne during late spring to mid-summer.
Hardy zones 2 to 7 in full sun.

Cerastium purpurescens
A low-growing perennial, reaching up to 1 foot in height, that is native to high mountains in Turkey, northwestern Iran and the Caucasus.
The narrow leaves are mid-green.
The white flowers are borne during spring.
Hardy zones 4 to 7 in full sun on well drained soil.

Cerastium tomentosum ( Snow-in-the-Summer )
A fast growing to invasive, rhizomatous, spreading, mat-forming, groundcover perennial, reaching a maximum size of 1 x 5 feet, that is native to mountainous parts of Europe. Some records include: first year - width of 3 feet.
On ideal sites it can spread so rampantly that there isn't much other than pavement that will contain it. It can be used as a lawn substitute on large areas, looking good in all seasons. It is also great for growing out of pockets in walls.
The lance-shaped leaves are woolly silvery-gray. The leaves are up to 1 x 0.3 inches in size.
The abundant, pure white, tubular flowers, up to 1 inch wide, are borne from early to mid summer.
It should be clipped back after blooming to prevent the seedpods which can contribute to invasive spread.
Hardy zones 2 to 7 in full sun on light, well drained soil. Drought tolerant and tolerates dry sandy soil, poor soil, drought, fire and deer. It may be prone to pests and diseases in regions with very hot humid summers. Deer resistant.
Shear back after flowering to maintain vigor and dense habit. Propagation is from division during autumn and early spring.

* photo taken on Aug 3 2011 @ Hyde Park, NY

* photo taken on May 14 2012 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Apr 15 2014 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on Apr 8 2015 in Elkridge, MD

* photos taken on July 14 2016 in Tobermory, ON

* photo taken on July 18 2016 in Grand Bend, ON

* snow-in-the-summer in Lions Head, ON

* photo taken on Apr 24 2024 in Elkridge, MD

* historic archive photo

'Jumbo Form'
More vigorous with larger leaves making it an excellent substitute for turf grass.
Discovered in Santa Fe, New Mexico by High Country Gardens.