Two-Grooved Milkvetch (Astragalus bisulcatus), also known as Silver-Leafed Milkvetch, offers subtle elegance in native and xeric landscapes, bringing a refined texture and early-season bloom to dry, open spaces. Its finely divided, silvery-green foliage forms a tidy mound that contrasts beautifully with coarser plants and grasses. In spring, dense spikes of soft purple to creamy white pea-like flowers emerge, adding a touch of pastel color to rock gardens, dry borders, and native plantings. This milkvetch is particularly striking when massed in drifts or used to soften the edges of pathways and open areas. Its unique, inflated seed pods provide visual interest long after the flowers fade, extending its ornamental appeal into summer. Drought-tolerant and adapted to Utah’s alkaline soils, Two-Grooved Milkvetch is a durable and distinctive choice for gardeners seeking fine-textured foliage and understated beauty in arid landscapes. Plant Two-Grooved Milkvetch in dry garden beds and borders, prairie and grass plantings, pollinator gardens, or naturalized plantings. This plant accumulates selenium, which can be toxic to livestock, so avoid planting in or near pastures or grazing land.
Two-Grooved or Silver-Leafed Milkvetch
Irrigation Requirement: Very Low (Water to Establish) or Low (1/2" every 10-14 days)
Mature Size: 1 - 2.5' tall and 1 - 2.5' wide
Spacing: 1 - 2' apart
Bloom Colors: Purple, occassionally white
Bloom Season: May - July
Hardiness Zone: 3 - 6
Light Requirement: Full Sun
Deer Resistant: Moderately
Salt Tolerant: Yes
Soils: Does well in well-draining clay and loam soils.
Plants in the genus Astragalus are known host plants for 21 native pollinators in northern Utah. Two-Grooved Milkvetch also provides pollen and nectar to a variety of pollinators throughout it's bloom time.