In winter and spring, this unassuming silver shrub transforms into a fluffy cloud of snowy white blooms—no wonder it’s called Kapokbossie. Wild Rosemary, also known as Wilde Roosmaryn, is a hardy evergreen shrub that forms a neat, twiggy, rounded to conical bush. Its small, linear, fleshy leaves are a beautiful silvery-grey to blue-green, covered in soft, felted hairs that give the plant a matt, luminous appearance and a wonderful tactile quality. From winter through spring (July to November), it produces an abundance of small flower heads, each surrounded by 3 to 5 conspicuous, snowy-white, papery ray petals that practically cover the entire bush, resembling a fresh dusting of snow or cotton wool.

For a burst of crisp, cheerful colour, few plants beat the Cape Marguerite. Also known as Van Staden’s River Daisy or Blouwitmagriet, this fast-growing evergreen perennial shrub produces large, luminous daisy flowers up to 8cm across. The classic form features striking white ray florets (often a soft blush pink on the reverse) surrounding a central disc of intense deep blue or purple. The peak flowering period is in spring, but blooms continue through summer into autumn, providing months of reliable colour. The lush, dark green aromatic leaves form a dense, leafy mound that sets off those showy flowers beautifully.

Some plants offer one season of interest. This one gives you four. Dwarf Heavenly Bamboo—also known as Pygmy Nandina or Dwarf Sacred Bamboo—is a slow-growing, clump-forming evergreen shrub with fine-textured, bamboo-like foliage on slender, cane-like stems. The leaves are the true showstoppers: coppery-pink in spring, fresh bright green in summer, then blazing into brilliant reds, oranges, and deep burgundy in autumn and winter. In late spring to early summer, small starry white flowers appear, sometimes followed by sprays of bright red berries that persist into winter, attracting birds.

If you need a tough shrub that still looks elegant, Coastal Rosemary is a fantastic choice. Also known as Australian Rosemary, this compact, rounded evergreen shrub has small, narrow, grey-green leaves arranged in whorls around the stems—reminiscent of culinary rosemary but softer and more silvery. The undersides are covered in a dense white felt, adding subtle colour variation. From spring through summer (and often sporadically all year in mild climates), it bears an abundance of small, delicate, tubular flowers in white to pale lilac-blue, each with tiny orange-to-purple spots on the lower half. Those dainty blooms attract bees and other beneficial insects.

Some plants are pretty. This one is both beautiful and wonderfully useful. Cotton Lavender—also known as Grey Santolina or Lavender Cotton—is a compact, rounded evergreen shrub with extraordinary, finely textured foliage. Its dense mound of narrow, almost coral-like leaves is a stunning silvery-grey to grey-green, covered in a soft, woolly down. Brush against them, and you’ll release a strong, distinctive, pleasantly pungent, musky fragrance. In summer (typically July to August), slender, leafless stalks rise up bearing an abundance of small, perfectly round, button-like flower heads in bright golden-yellow, hovering above the silver foliage like tiny sunny buttons.

Look closely at those leaves—it’s as if an artist flicked a brush loaded with deep purple ink across each one. The Penwiper Plant, also known as Spotted Kalanchoe, is a unique, upright evergreen succulent that forms a bushy, branching clump of fleshy stems, reaching up to 40 cm tall and wide. The leaves are thick, waxy, oval to paddle-shaped, and a soft, powdery, glaucous green to silvery-blue, dramatically splashed with irregular, maroon to deep purple spots. Those markings become more pronounced in bright light. In spring, a delicate, branching flower stalk rises, bearing clusters of small, starry, four-petalled white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink.

Some plants beg to be touched. This is one of them. Cottony Saltbush, also known as Cottony Goosefoot, is a small, spreading evergreen shrub with slender branches that curve gracefully downwards, reaching up to 1 metre in height and width. Its small, triangular to shovel-shaped leaves are densely covered in tiny, white, rounded hairs, giving the entire plant a soft, silvery-grey, cottony feel. In spring and summer, small, inconspicuous flower spikes droop delicately from the branches, followed by a hidden treasure: small, fleshy red berries that ripen to a bright, glistening orange—a surprising pop of colour that attracts birds.

Sometimes you want a plant that just quietly does its job, looking pretty month after month. False Heather fits that description perfectly. Also known as Mexican Heather or Elfin Herb, this compact, bushy evergreen shrub forms a dense, rounded mound of small, glossy, lance-shaped dark green leaves that create a soft, heather-like effect. From spring through autumn, it produces an abundance of tiny, bell- or trumpet-shaped flowers in pretty shades of lavender, purple, pink, or white, depending on the cultivar. In milder coastal gardens, it may bloom sporadically all year round.