Calocephalus ‘Silver Bush’
‘Silver Bush’
During the Christmas holidays this year you’ll notice a new component in a number of our arrangements—‘Silver Bush’. Take one look and I think you’ll see why we were drawn to this unique plant. Normally to get foliage like this for our winter designs we need to bust out the silver spray paint.
This Australian native is also known as cushion bush
These shimmering branches look like they just survived an ice storm but actually ‘Silver Bush’ is native to the sand dunes and sea cliffs of the Tasmanian coast in Australia. At first glance it looks prickly, but the mounds are quite soft and fuzzy to the touch; as a matter of fact, another common name we hear used for this plant is cushion bush.
Tiny, scale-like leaves are pressed tightly against the stems
Believe it or not, ‘Silver Bush’ does have leaves; they’re tiny and narrow—like scales on a fish—and stay pressed up against the stems. They remain silver throughout the year, giving ‘Silver Bush’ a stark, wintery appearance that’s great for adding a bit of finespun texture to a design. We find the silvery white foliage useful for providing dramatic contrast with just about any other plant color, including green foliage, dark foliage, or brilliant flowers.
As a coastal variety, ‘Silver Bush’ tolerates wind and salt water, and prefers sandy or gravelly soil. It’s a popular choice for rock gardens, and you can use it to brighten any sunny, dry area with tough soil while upping the interest at the same time. Just remember: it tolerates drought, but not standing water.
Provides dramatic contrast for holiday arrangements
‘Silver Bush’ is hardy to around 20°F and can handle a slight frost, so as I mentioned we’ll be using it to liven up our holiday arrangements this year. It makes a natural winter accent, and at about a foot tall it blends easily into most containers.
On that note…‘Silver Bush’ would make a great ghostly wig for one of those crazy-faced pumpkins we planted up last year at Halloween.
This variety is available in the 4.5-inch pot.
