Plant Finder

An upright, silver-foliage shrub growing to 1m tall, the Silver Wormwood is a tough and easy to cultivate shrub. It can be managed through biennial or occasional pruning to manage its habit.

Rounded bush. Leaves are oblong shaped, held on a single many-branched stem, are grey-green in colour and about 4cm long. Flowers daisy-like, are white, purple or blue in colour and are about 2cm across. They are borne from spring to autumn. Hard pruning is required to encourage flowering. Olearia phlogopappa grows to about 2m in height. This plant is not drought tolerant.

Mondo Grass forms tufts of narrow, grass-like leaves that are 10 to 20cm in height. Slow initially, once established it can spread rapidly though vigorous stolons below the ground. Forms a very dense ground cover from deep shade to partially sunny locations. This plant has limited drought tolerance.

Rushlike tuft. Leaves are green or grey-green in colour. Flowers are purple, iris-like, found on short stems and are borne in spring and early summer. Patersonia fragilis grows to about 0.3m high and 0.3m wide. This plant is not drought tolerant.

Grassy tuft. Leaves are narrow, stap-like and green in colour. The flowers are purple, (occasionally white) iris-like and are borne on tall stems in spring and summer. Patersonia occidentalis grows to about 0.6m high and 0.6m wide. This plant is not drought tolerant.

This is a South African sprawling sub-shrub that grows up to 50cm in height. It has strongly-scented ‘fern-like’ leaves and mauve flowers that form over spring and summer. A useful low-growing plant for its texture, form, and flowers.

Large tussock. Leaves are blue-green in colour. Flower stems are fine, open panicles and may be erect or weeping. The colour cannot be specified as it varies. Poa labillardieri grows to about 1m tall and wide. This is a valuable habitat plant for birds and butterflies.

Medium tussock, with hairy stems giving a soft greyish appearance. The clumps spread slowly causing an increase in width and can become tangled and flattened if not cut back. Poa morrisii grows to about 1m in height and width. This plant is not drought tolerant.

This mintbush is the most commonly grown species despite it's short life. It forms a large shrub to a small tree. It can be upright and dense or more spreading. The leaves are small (1cm), oval, dark green in top and greyish green below. Flowers are rich purple in colour and are borne in spring. This plant is very aromatic. Prostanthera ovalifolia grows to about 2.5m tall. This plant is not drought tolerant.

One of the earliest used Mediterranean plants, the deciduous Pomegranate is an excellent small tree for the garden. It has attractive orange-yellow flowers in summer; yellow foliage in autumn; bronze new growth in spring; and pulpy red and orange fruits.

Compact shrub growing to 2.5 m tall and 2.5 m wide. Leaves are shiny, dark green, narrow and pointed with a jagged edge. Flowers are perfumed, white in colour (with a pink tinge), 8cm long and are borne in clusters. Flowering occures during late winter and spring. Following the flowering is the production of black berries with a bluish tinge.

This plant is a dense rounded mound. Its leaves are green, thick, paddle-shaped and have a smooth edge. Its new leaves are covered with grey hairs and its flowers---formed in clusters--are white and perfumed. Flowering occurs in summer but in warm climates, can go on throughout the year. Following flowering is the production of fruit; bluish black berries that are also formed in clusters. Rhaphiolepis umbellata grows to about 2m tall.

This small plant has small, narrow, greyish-green leaves. Flowers occur individually at the ends of the stems with yellow centres surrounded by white, papery bracts. Flowering occurs between winter and early autumn. Rhodanthe anthemoides grows up to about 0.3 metres high by about 0.6 metres wide. This plant is not drought tolerant.

Dense small plant which spreads by suckering and layering. Leaves are small and bright green in colour. Flowers are a blue-mauve colour, are fan-shaped and produced along the branchlets in spring, summer and autumn. Scaevola 'Mauve Clusters' grows to about 0.2m wide and 1m tall. This plant is not drought tolerant.

Sedum spectabile is a bedding plant that has soft, succulent stems and as such is often used as a herbaceous perennial. It is a clump-forming, deciduous plant that produces spectacular star-shaped pink flowers in Autumn in large masses. This plant grows to about 45cm in width and height.

Variable shrub with silvery-grey appearance. Leaves are round, dark-green and crinkled. Flowers are cream coloured and are surrounded by whitish leaf-like bracts. Flowering occurs in spring and summer. Tolerates dry periods and is frost resistant. Spyridium parviflorum grows to about 1m wide and 2m high.

Strelitzia reginae is a shrub-sized species. Its flowers are bright orange and blue in a pointed green bract edged with red, resembling a crane's crested head, hence the name. These flowers are produced from spring to summer. Its leaves are greyish-green and spoon-like with an oblong to lance-shaped blade on a long stalk. Strelitzia reginae grows to about 3m wide and 1.5m high.

This plant has a short tuft and narrow foliage. The tuft is green, blue-green or grey-green in colour and is grassy. Flowers are produced as spikes and are white to pink in colour. These are borne in spring and summer. Each flower has a trigger which is used to place pollen on insects backs. Stylidium graminifolium grows to about 0.3m wide and 0.3m tall. This plant is drought tolerant.

Kangaroo Grass is an ornamental grass, not turf. Its leaves are blue but later maturing to red, especially in winter. Its flowers are white in colour and are present pretty much all year round. Themeda australis normally grows to 30-90 cm high but sometimes can grow to as much as 3.5m high. This is a native Australian grass and a valuable seed source and shelter for birds, butterflies and frogs.

This bushy shrub is erect when young but then becomes more open as it matures. Its leaves are straight, narrow, about 2cm long, and are dark green above and white beneath. The flowers are white to pale blue in colour and about 1.5cm across. These are borne in cymes from late spring to early autumn. Westringia fruticosa grows to about 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide.