Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
Calocephalus, or cushion bush, or Leucophyta brownii, is a strange and enchanting plant, one whose icy vibes are perfectly suited to a winter window box and wouldn’t look out of place in the landscape of Frozen. It’s the wiry, coral-like stems and scaly modified leaves that give it such a frosty air, so it’s quite a shock to discover that it’s a relative of the aster and in summer sports yellow daisy-like flowers. Perhaps we shoudln’t be so surprised – it’s in good, silvery company here as the curry plant (Helichrysum italicum), dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima/Senecio cineraria) and cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) all produce similarly cheerful blooms that seem at odds with the cool, aloof bluey greys of their foliage. All favourites for both garden and containers... and while I might begin the season snipping the flowers off when they threaten to kill the mood, by midsummer I surrender and let them get on with it.
A year of garden coaching
To find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details and add your name to the waiting list to be the first to hear when enrolment opens up again for the spring.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, blogger, podcaster, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking the image above.
