Postage : Seeds only $4 / Plants $20
A diminutive wormwood from the Alps for tucking into crevices in walls and paths or as a companion for low growing Pinks and choice small bulbs, ideally close at hand for convenient petting, releasing its delightful aroma, and picking for home made aperitifs.
Forming a charming ground hugging mat of soft, winter deciduous, tiny, divided, silver leaves with small panicles of irrelevant, pale yellow flowers in early summer.
Strictly for very well drained soil and requiring little water.
A staple of gardens the world over though indigenous through most of North America. A suckering carpet of silver, broadly lance shaped leaves for borders and edgings or combined with other vigorous perennials, Bearded Iris maybe, in drifts or clumps. Cut down regularly to maintain broadest foliage and low growth or if left unchecked it will eventually form a dense mound of wiry, branching stems bearing irrelevant, small, pale yellow, button-like flowers, quite an effective silver shrub in wilder parts of the garden or fence line.
Very vigorous and perfectly drought tolerant on well drained soils, struggling in heavy clay though more successful in lower rainfall regions. Impervious to any heat and cold experienced in this country but, as with most of the genus, unlikely to tolerate the summer humidity of more tropical climes. Dead easy and indestructible.
Might work as a silver, water efficient lawn when mown routinely.
Broader, more simple leaved than A. ‘Silver Queen’ and perhaps better when kept low.
A vigorous variety forming a sprawling mound of deeply incised, rounded, jagged edged, silvery satin, green leaves and bearing throughout spring and summer silver pink, saucer shaped, 2cm flowers just above.
Selected at Kew and one of the few of European origin to last more than a year or two here (inadequate vernalization is my favoured theory), indeed it often self sows, no doubt the influence of its part southern hemisphere heritage, G. traversii from the Chatham Islands, the rest is G. endressii. If it runs out of steam over our long growing season a quick cut down to its clustered rhizomes will see tidy renewed growth, flowers too if early on, otherwise wait until it naturally retreats to a reduced winter state, allowing it to recycle nutrients and build energy for the following season.
Easily grown in any well drained, not dry soil with morning sun or high shade.
Highly pettable, rounded, stem hugging, grey leaves are covered in soft cobwebby fur, more like a friendly garden pet than a plant. All summer long, stiff stems of gracefully pendant, tawny pink bracts disclose small, tubular, soft pink flowers above the low mounds of foliage.
If I was going to be stranded on a desert island this would be the oregano I would take, it would also probably be the most likely to succeed.
Summer drought, exposure and well drained alkaline soil preferred but will grow happily, if somewhat more slowly, in clay soils that aren't too wet.
Slow growing and hence almost maintenance free with removal of spent stems all that is necessary.
Can be used in the kitchen but the flavour is very similar to other much faster growing and less attractive oreganos. It otherwise has been used historically for healing, enhancing astral projection and as an aphrodisiac.
The Dittany of both Aristotle and Harry Potter.
Rosettes of kidney shaped leaves that appear to be cut from grey velvet bear small clusters of brilliant magenta flowers year round.
Relaxed of habit and gently suckering, a colony lends itself to the company of other smaller plants of gorgeous foliage like succulents and grasses for the making of scrumptious compositions in large containers or tessellated over a greater garden area as hyperboles meadow. Otherwise just use it beside paths or to glam up the feet of shrubs as it's quite happy in partial shade.
From the Eastern Cape but hardier than many from the region. Easily grown in any well drained soil with some summer moisture.
A clump forming, evergreen perennial, with finely dissected, intense silver-white, fern-like foliage and flat heads of golden yellow flowers throughout the warmer months.
Best planted en masse.
Feed Well.
Cut spent stems to the ground.
The most drought hardy Achillea we've yet seen, easily surviving several months without water, once established.
An evergreen, perennial ground cover. Bears short, whorled spikes of broadly lipped, soft blue, tubular flowers in Spring and Autumn. Silver Carpet has proved to be one of the most Sun tolerant Ajugas, but some shade is still recommended if exposed to hot drying winds. Quick growing it makes a delightful carpet amongst other plants, being too low to smother anything.
A drought hardy groundcover for sunny exposed positions and poor sandy soils. Ideal for road verges, carparks, driveways and anywhere else normal plants struggle to survive. Large, 10cm, strawberry pink, black centred, daisy-like flowers smother the silver, crinkled foliage until January or longer given water.
Mow after flowering.
Bright lilac flowers over almost lacy, silvery foliage. Not as vigorous or as spreading as some, which can be either good or bad depending on your persuasion or intent. Huge drifts provide ultimate spring colour and weed suppressing groundcover.
Indestructibly hardy in any well drained, sunny site, and especially so in sand. A light annual trim after flowering, to remove spent flower stalks, will keep it neat through the dry summer rest.
A drought hardy groundcover for sunny exposed positions and poor sandy soils. Ideal for road verges, carparks, driveways and anywhere else normal plants struggle to survive. Large, 10cm, wine red, black centred, daisy-like flowers smother the silver, crinkled foliage until January or longer given water.
Mow after flowering.