Postage : Seeds only $4 / Plants $20
A perennial form of the common garden stock.
Highly perfumed single white flowers are born in fat spikes emerging from silver rosettes of lance shaped foliage carried on woody stems and becoming shrubby with age though after several years becoming too woody and then best removed to make way for the plentiful seedlings that usually appear.
Leaner more exposed positions give more attractive and lasting results but easily grown in any well drained soil, adores alkaline coastal sand. Summer irrigation unnecessary.
An essential in cottage style or Victorian period gardens.
A mound forming, densely clumping, woody rootstocked, evergreen perennial, extremely tolerant of dry soils and exposure. Whorls of rich blue-mauve flowers, held along slender stems, are borne profusely throughout the warmer months. Cut to the ground anytime it is looking tatty and you will quickly be rewarded with a new crop of the heart shaped, toothed, grey green leaves.
A superior plant, of better colour and habit than the generic seed raised N. faassenii commonly encountered and which regrettably seem to have ruined the reputation of Catmints in this country.
A garden staple.
The king of Catmints. Stiff stems. clothed in thick and velvety silver leaves, terminate in richly coloured spires of purple, two lipped, tubular flowers amid rosy bracts. After flowering the whole plant dies back to it's tuberous rootstock to await out the dry summer, emerging with the onset of cooler weather and moisture.
Minimal summer water and good drainage essential.
Best left undisturbed once established.
Superb amongst other Mediterranean type plants eg. Cistus, Lavender, Euphorbia characias and proves to be the perfect vertical compliment to flat heads of Achillea or other horizontal flower types. Beware when planting together with the greenery of more tender plants as it appears in contrast just too content and well suited to our climate leaving them looking shabby and out of place, as perhaps they are.
Large rounded leaves cut from silver velvet adorn this quick growing, soft stemmed, shrubby, evergreen perennial from Queensland. The ideal silver foil for shady gardens across the country, needing only protection from direct frost and a soil that's not too dry year round. During Autumn and Winter spikes of delicate, white flowers, are freely produced.
Trim regularly to maintain density.
A handsome sage demanding a hot, dry, exposed position where it will form a long lived, low woody shrub, clothed in intense silvery white lance shaped leaves. In spring thousands of small white flowers in dense tapering heads tower over the foliage on sturdy stems up to 2m high. The entire plant is highly aromatic, some might say pungent, smelling to me not unlike burnt rubber but considered lovely by many, especially bees who find the flowers irresistible.
Easily among the best silver foliaged plants of all time, although it really is more white than silver.
Try an un-irrigated super silver garden with others such as Centaurea cineraria, Epilobium canum subsp. canum and Salvia dorrii.
Superb on road verges or against rammed earth walls where it looks right at home.
Water until established and then at your own risk, an occasional summer watering is beneficial. Otherwise tolerant of any well drained soil.
Best on the west coast. Not suitable for areas with high summer humidity (coastal Sydney northwards) but should fair well in the less humid interior.
Pungently scented, silver spoon shaped leaves clothe the cork barked branches of this low growing shrub, adaptations that no doubt help it survive the harsh environment of its home in the deserts of south west North America. In spring slender spikes bear tiered whorls of sapphire blue flowers emerging from rosy bracts.
A plant of rare beauty it is intolerant of wet feet and summer humidity, much preferring extremes heat, drought and cold preferably in sand or other poor sharply drained soil. Moist coastal gardens will invariable prove fatal as will mulch and soil improver.