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
I’m very excited about my new venture – it’s a way for me to work with more people than I can physically get around to, helping them to make the very best of their gardens in a way that suits the life they lead. If you’d like to find out more, please click here to book for a January 2020 start.
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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.
