Silverbush

Sun

Full sun; choose a warm, sheltered position in cooler climates.

Water

Low once established in the ground; water young plants and containers when the soil has dried appreciably.

Soil

Very well-drained sandy, gravelly or stony soil, preferably poor to moderately fertile. Tolerates alkaline soil; avoid heavy, wet ground.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Flowers

Mainly late spring through summer; white funnel-shaped flowers with yellow centres open from pink-tinged buds.

Foliage

Narrow, evergreen leaves densely covered with fine, silky hairs, giving the whole shrub a silver-grey appearance.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.55 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant after severe frost has passed, in full sun with excellent drainage.
• Water during dry spells in the first growing season; once established, let the soil dry between waterings.
• Use a gravel mulch and keep it clear of the woody crown.
• Avoid rich manure and heavy feeding; give container plants a light balanced feed in spring if needed.
• Use containers with drainage holes and a gritty potting mix; move them under bright, frost-protected cover where winters are too cold.

Pruning. Lightly trim after the main flowering flush to keep the mound compact and remove spent flowers. Remove frost-killed tips once growth resumes in spring, but avoid cutting hard into old, leafless wood.

Spring

Plant once severe frost has passed, or move overwintered containers outdoors after acclimatising them.

Mid-spring

Remove dead or frost-damaged shoots when new growth shows which stems are alive.

Summer

Check container moisture regularly and water thoroughly when the potting mix has dried appreciably.

After flowering

Lightly trim the leafy shoots to maintain a rounded shape.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Late autumn

Move pots to frost-protected shelter where necessary and check that outdoor plants cannot sit in winter water.

• Repeat rounded silver mounds along a sunny path or the front of a dry border.
• Combine with lavender, rosemary and rockrose for contrasting foliage and Mediterranean planting.
• Use in gravel gardens beside rocks, where its pale foliage contrasts with dark stone.
• Grow in a freely draining courtyard container for year-round foliage.
• Plant in sunny coastal borders with other drought-tolerant shrubs.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Coastal, Low-maintenance and White garden.

Plant it with: Lavender, Rosemary, Rockrose, Santolina, Catmint and Bearded iris.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other flower-visiting insects.

• Root and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage before planting, keep mulch away from the crown and avoid frequent watering.
• Frost damage: use a sheltered site, protect containers during freezes and remove dead tips in spring.
• Sparse growth and poor flowering in shade: move to full sun and avoid excessive feeding.
• Leggy, woody growth: trim lightly after flowering each year; replace old plants that no longer produce leafy growth near the base.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No particular plant part is recognised as poisonous, although species-specific information is limited; it is an ornamental plant, not a food plant.

• Ground morning glory (Convolvulus sabatius)

  Has trailing stems, greener leaves and usually blue to violet flowers, rather than an upright silver mound with white flowers.

• Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

  An aggressive creeping or twining perennial with green, arrow-shaped leaves and white or pink flowers; it does not form a woody silver shrub.

• Shrubby germander (Teucrium fruticans)

  Usually grows larger and has opposite leaves, square young stems and pale blue, two-lipped flowers rather than white funnels.

Convolvulus comes from the Latin for winding or twining, referring to climbing members of the genus, while silverbush describes this species' silvery foliage.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root them in a freely draining medium under cover. Seed can also be sown in spring, but cuttings are usually more practical for home gardeners.

Accepted botanical name

Convolvulus cneorum

Native range

Albania, Italy, Sicilia, Tunisia and Yugoslavia.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.