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.

When autumn arrives and most gardens start fading, Mona Lavender is just hitting its stride. This compact, fast-growing evergreen shrub forms a neat, upright, bushy mound of glossy, dark green leaves with serrated edges, each boasting a dramatic, deep purple to wine-coloured underside. From late summer through autumn and often into winter, it produces an abundance of elegant spikes of tubular, two-lipped lavender flowers, delicately speckled with purple. This spectacular display is triggered by shorter daylight hours, providing a burst of vibrant colour when many other plants are winding down.

Step onto a pathway planted with this living carpet, and you’ll feel like you’re walking through a field of tiny white trumpets. White Carpet, also known as African Morning Glory, Creeping Falkia, or Oortjies (“little ears”), is a fast-growing, mat-forming perennial that forms a flat, tight mat of small, rounded to broadly ovate leaves—slightly succulent, shiny, and a cheerful green to yellowish-green, each leaf resembling a tiny ear. From late September to December, it produces an abundance of solitary, trumpet-shaped flowers in pure white, sometimes blushed with soft pink, creating a stunning, carpet-like display.

Wait until midday, when the sun is high, and watch these brilliant coppery-orange blooms burst open as if responding to a signal. Copper Vygie, also known as Vingerkanna, is a fast-growing, evergreen succulent groundcover that forms a dense, spreading mat of pale green to blue-green, triangular, fleshy leaves—soft and brittle to the touch. From spring onwards, and intermittently throughout the year, it produces an abundance of dazzling, daisy-like flowers in striking coppery-orange to dark orange, each with a sunny yellow centre and often a purplish underside. Those jewel-toned blooms open in the bright heat of the day, attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, then close as the light fades.

Lean in close, and you’ll catch a subtle, jasmine-like sweetness drifting from those starry white blooms. The Potato Vine, also known as Jasmine Nightshade or Potato Climber, is a vigorous, semi-evergreen, woody-stemmed climber with slender, twining stems clothed in small, glossy, dark green, ovate to lance-shaped leaves. From spring through summer and often into autumn, it produces an abundance of loose clusters of star-shaped flowers, each with five pure white to pale blue petals surrounding a prominent, conical cluster of bright yellow stamens.

Those cheerful little globes of pink and white look like lollipops scattered across a rocky slope. Sea Thrift, also known as Sea Pink or Thrift, is a clump-forming evergreen perennial that forms a low, dense cushion of narrow, dark green to blue-green leaves, remaining attractive throughout the year. From mid-spring through early summer (and often with sporadic re-blooming into autumn), sturdy, upright stems rise bearing round clusters of small, papery flowers in shades of pink, white, rose-red, or lavender—a playful, lollipop-like effect.

True blue is a rare colour in the flower world, which makes this Cape native all the more special. Blue Felicia Bush, also known as Blue Marguerite or bloumagriet, is a soft, evergreen, bushy shrub treasured for its exceptionally long flowering season and its cheerful, daisy-like blooms. It features small, ovate, rough-textured, bright green leaves that form a dense, tidy mound. From spring through autumn (and often year-round in milder coastal gardens), it produces an endless succession of stunning, sky-blue flowers with bright golden-yellow centres, each about 3cm across, held elegantly above the foliage.

Step into a moonlight garden, and you’ll understand why Cushion Bush is so beloved. Also known as Silver Bush, this dwarf evergreen shrub has striking, metallic silver-white stems that form a dense, rounded, almost coral-like mound. The intricately tangled, wiry branchlets are covered in soft, woolly hairs, creating a remarkable silvery glow. The tiny, scale-like leaves hug the stems so closely they’re barely visible, giving the plant an otherworldly, textural quality. In late spring and summer (December to February in its native Australia), small, button-like flower heads in pale creamy-yellow add a subtle, charming contrast.