For formal structure and timeless elegance, few plants rival Common Boxwood. Also known simply as Box, this slow-growing, densely branched evergreen shrub is treasured for its small, glossy leaves and its remarkable response to pruning. It features a profusion of oval to elliptical, leathery leaves in rich dark green above and lighter yellow-green beneath, clothing the plant in a fine, dense texture. In late winter to early spring (August to September), small, inconspicuous greenish-cream flowers appear—not showy, but rich in nectar and attractive to bees. Really, though, you’re growing this for the magnificent, manicured foliage.

Watch one cluster of blooms closely, and you’ll see flowers in deep purple, soft lavender, and pure white all at once—three colours, three days, one captivating shrub. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, known in Afrikaans as Verbleikblom (“bleaching flower”), is a semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub with a rounded, bushy habit of elliptical, leathery leaves with a glossy, waxy sheen. From spring through summer (and often sporadically into autumn), it produces clusters of showy, trumpet-shaped flowers that open rich, deep violet-purple, fade to soft lavender on the second day, and finally turn pure white before falling. The blooms are delightfully fragrant, releasing a sweet, spicy scent that intensifies in the warmth of the afternoon and evening.

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.

For a shrub that delivers cheerful white blooms for months on end, Marguerite Daisy is a true garden favourite. Also known as Paris Daisy or Cobbitty Daisy, this compact, bushy evergreen shrub features attractive, finely divided, fern-like leaves of soft, grey-green, creating an airy, textured backdrop. From early spring through autumn (and often year-round in mild coastal gardens), it produces an endless succession of classic, single or double daisy flowers, typically white with a bright golden-yellow centre.

You can’t get much more proudly South African than this. Cape Agapanthus, also known as African Lily or Bloulelie, is a clump-forming evergreen perennial with graceful, strap-like leaves arranged in two opposite rows, creating a lush, fountain-like base. From this verdant clump rise tall, slender stems, each bearing a magnificent spherical umbel of up to 30 individual trumpet-shaped flowers in lovely light to deep blue. White forms appear occasionally, too. These stunning blooms arrive mainly in summer (December to March), capturing the very essence of a South African summer garden.

There’s nothing quite like the cool, tingling rush of fresh peppermint. This natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint is a vigorous, spreading perennial with a dense mat of dark green, lance-shaped leaves with serrated edges, often tinged with purple, on distinctive square, reddish-purple stems. Throughout summer, charming whorls of small, tubular, lilac-pink flowers appear in oblong terminal spikes, adding delicate colour and attracting bees.

Some plants are grown for their flowers. Dusty Miller is grown for its extraordinary foliage—and what foliage it is. Also known as Silver Ragwort, this soft evergreen subshrub forms a rounded, bushy mound of stunning, deeply lobed or dissected leaves. Each leaf is covered in a dense, woolly white tomentum that gives the entire plant a soft, velvety, luminous silver-grey appearance. It’s like having a piece of moonlight in your garden. In summer, small clusters of unassuming yellow daisy flowers may appear, but many gardeners snip them off to keep the focus squarely on those shimmering leaves.

Take the shimmering purple and green foliage of the Purple Vitex, put it on a single stem, and you get a “lollipop” tree that’s pure elegance. The Purple Vitex Standard Tree features a clean, upright stem topped with a rounded, lollipop-shaped canopy of slender, branching stems clothed in aromatic, trifoliate leaves. New leaves emerge in brilliant, eye-catching purple, maturing to soft grey-green above while retaining a beautiful, velvety lavender-purple underside—a shimmering, bicoloured effect that moves in the breeze. From summer through autumn, the rounded head produces an abundance of upright, cone-shaped panicles of small, tubular flowers in soft lavender to bluish-purple, highly fragrant and adding a gentle, cloud-like accent.