I've struggled with it - or what to do with it - for several years now. Like you, I don't like the upright stems, I cut them off. Because of it's odd growth habit, I've sort of just tucked it in between some plants and let it grow as an irregular mat, low growing groundcover. I don't know, really. It's just an odd plant.

Mine took awhile to become a fuller mat, but it's maybe 12 inches in length, and the term fuller would be more appropriate for this plant than "bushier" - it's not a bushy plant. It still grows in any odd shape - not necessarily an even mass. When I have transplanted it, because it's difficult to transplant and keep it looking nice, I try to grab a large chunk of soil around it to keep it in tact.

If you want similar coloring but a better habit, provided you plant it and leave it there, I'd recommend Snow in Summer - nice white blooms in spring and spreads as a nice carpet without being invasive. Pics don't do it justice. I redid a planting bed and had a difficult time trying to transplant it, so I no longer have it, but will definitely add it back to my landscaping in the future. Snow in Summer would grow nicely and fill in the areas around heuchera, without smothering it.

Good luck. :)

I adore this plant..it grows along the stone wall of my flower garden..It now is about 18 inches in length=horizontal, and hangs over the stone wall to a depth of about 5 inches..grows beautifully in both partial shade and full sun.
I prefer this to artemesia silver mound which gets to tall and needs cutting back in order to keep its'shape.
Brocade is not anything like silver mound in its' growth habit.

Silver Brocade is a beautiful plant but I got rid of it because of its growth habit. I don't think you will find that it will improve. I had it for a long time because I liked it so much.
I had it on the top of a wall first when I bought it and it did well there. I moved it because of changes I made in that area and didn't find any other spot that I liked it in.

Kim, I actually have Snow in Summer! (Cerastium, right?) I agree, it is one great plant. I bought two more for this same bed. It gets kind of leggy after bloom, I'm going to try giving mine a haircut soon. I liked the texture of the Artemisia Silver Brocade, and, being a gardener, I wanted to try something new!

Gemini, draped over a wall sounds good for this. I don't really have any place where it can do that; I'll just have to see if it continues to annoy me. Maybe when I trim off the flowering stalks it will branch out a bit.

I've had silver mound, for me, it flopped too much, and didn't like the summer humidity here.

My idea was a silver river between two banks of taller plants, in my case it was lysimachia firecracker. It was effective but the banks kept spreading. Should work around and between Carpet Roses such as Scarlet, as it's a cool color. That's what I'm trying now. If it gets scraggly a bit of shearing brings it right back. I think you need more of it and give it time.

Silver Brocade was bred to have a very prostrate and somewhat wandering growth habit. Other than pinching off the upright flowering stems, there is nothing you can do that will change it. It will never 'bush up" at all. There are other artemesias that will work better if that's what you want. The Powys Castle is readily available, and Silver Mound is a fluffy ball of very fine foliage. Both of them can become loose and floppy over time and will need maintenance to keep a decent shape. Sounds like Snow in Summer might be your best bet if you want a pretty tight mat of ground cover.

I've had difficulty with artemisia and am now using dusty miller in bright shade beneath a crape myrtle tree -- high and dry. For me, it has overwintered in zone 7 and gets more beautiful each year.

I recently wrote (a bit humorous) about the common dusty miller because I use it, and have seen it growing in beautiful settings in gardens in France.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: dusty miller used with different companions

Artemisia Powis Castle is wonderful. I wouldnt call it a ground cover, however. If you enjoy silver foliage, I would absolutely get one. I've come to like it more than both Silver Mound and Dusty Miller. Against black mulch, it really pops, so I think it'd look great near dark purple heuchera.

Thanks! I did pinch off the flowering stems, and all the growing tips, and it responded by bushing out slightly. It's now 3 inches tall, instead of 1"! As I test I pinched one, and let the others go. The pinched one looks better. A little more neat, less rangy and sloppy.

I do have Dusty Miller, I am putting some of those in too, though I was kind of waiting to see what the Silver Brocade does. Dusty Miller sometimes overwinters here: about half the time, and half the plants.

I have been tempted by Powis Castle in garden centers. I saw a few tall ones at the Botanic Garden, though, that looked not as formal as I'd like for this spot, too rangy. This is the small garden going up to my front porch. It's a formal facade, so I think a formal garden there looks best. (In the back, anything goes: mad and wild profusion is the theme back there). It's in front of low windows, so can't really be much taller than 2 feet. I've had Silver Mound and didn't like its habit of flopping open in the center. I'll have to look for pics of Powis Castle online, see how it looks when mature.