Silver foliage plants are the quiet achievers of the garden. While they may not scream for attention like bright blooms, their shimmering tones bring brightness, sophistication and an unmistakable charm to any landscape.
Many are drought-hardy, sun-loving and low maintenance, ideal for Australian conditions. Here’s our top 12 plants with silver foliage to consider for your next planting project.
1. Cushion Bush – Leucophyta brownii
This dense, tangled shrub looks like a living sculpture. Its fine, wiry branches are coated in silvery-white, giving it a ghostly, futuristic look. It’s an Aussie native that thrives in coastal conditions, handles salt spray like a champion and needs virtually no maintenance once established. Perfect as a low hedge, border or modern feature plant.
Size: 1.2m high x 1.2m wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, sandy or coastal soils
Water: Low once established
2. Lamb’s Ear – Stachys byzantina
As soft as its name suggests, this velvety perennial is loved for its touchable, fuzzy silver leaves. Ideal for sensory gardens and borders, it also produces pink-purple flower spikes in Summer. Lamb’s Ear can rot in humid areas, so good drainage and air flow are essential.
Size: 30–45cm wide x 75cm high
Sun: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Free-draining
Water: Low; drought-tolerant
3. Olive Tree – Olea europaea
One of my favourite plants. The silvery-green leaves of the Olive Tree lend a Mediterranean air to Aussie gardens. A fantastic choice for both edible landscaping and ornamental structure, they thrive in large pots or garden beds and look stunning against stone, gravel or terracotta.
Size: 5-7m high x 5-7m wide. Much smaller if grown in a pot.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low once established
4. Wormwood – Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
Feathery and finely cut, the silver-grey foliage of this perennial brings texture and fragrance. It’s commonly used in herb and cottage gardens or as a soft foil for bright-flowering plants. Its strong scent helps deter pests too.
Size: 80cm height x 1m wide
Sun: Full sun / part-shade
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low
5. Snow-in-Summer – Cerastium tomentosum
This mat-forming perennial has small, hairy silver leaves and explodes in a flurry of white flowers in late Spring and Summer. Excellent for edging, rockeries and dry slopes but can self-seed be a bit of a spreader if flowers are not removed.
Care: 15cm high x 75cm wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Poor to average, well-drained
Water: Low
6. Licorice Plant – Helichrysum petiolare
Licorice Plant is a fast-growing, softly trailing perennial with rounded, fuzzy silver leaves and a sweet, subtle licorice scent. This plant adds a soft spillover effect to containers and garden edges. It thrives in warm climates and offers a gentle, romantic contrast to structured planting schemes.
Size: 1.5m high x 2m wide
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Moderate – do not overwater
7. Westringia fruticosa ‘Smokey’ – Coastal Rosemary
A variegated form of Coastal Rosemary with pale grey-green leaves edged in white. ‘Smokey’ has a refined look and is great for formal native gardens, pots or clipped hedges. Pale purple flowers bloom throughout the year.
Size: 1m high x 1.5m wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low
8. Emu Bush – Eremophila spp.
Eremophilas are tough Aussie natives. E. nivea stands out with its silver, velvety foliage and vivid purple flowers. Great for arid or inland gardens, they’re hardy, drought-resistant and low-fuss.
Height: Approx 2m high x 2m wide (depending on variety)
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Free-draining
Water: Very low once established
9. Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ – Dichondra argentea
A cascading beauty ideal for hanging baskets, pots or flowing over rock walls. Its trailing stems are covered in tiny, shimmering kidney-shaped silver leaves. Heat-tolerant and tough but does prefer a bit of shelter from extreme sun.
Height: 10cm, can trail up to 1.5m
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low
10. Convolvulus cneorum – Silver Bush
Rounded and compact, Silver Bush has slender silvery-green leaves and masses of white, funnel-shaped flowers that bloom from Spring to Summer. Makes a great feature or container plant.
Size: 60cm high x 1m wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low to moderate
11. Blue Chalk Sticks – Senecio serpens
A sculptural succulent with icy blue-grey stems. Low-growing and spreading, it adds form and colour contrast to succulent gardens or dry borders. Protect from heavy frost.
Size: 25cm high x 90cm wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Free-draining
Water: Very low
12. Teucrium fruticans – Shrubby Germander
A tough and tidy Mediterranean shrub with small silver-grey leaves and pale blue flowers. Takes well to clipping, making it a fantastic hedge or structural filler.
Size: 1.5m high x 1.5 wide
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Low to moderate
Love plants with silver foliage as much as we do? Take your adoration beyond the garden with our Silver Wattle Australian Wildflower Earrings – a subtle nod to native beauty and botanical elegance. Or treat yourself to a little self-care with our Lemon Eucalyptus & Brazilian Yellow Clay Soap – handmade, all-natural and as refreshing as a breeze through a bushland grove. Explore the full Curious Gardener shop here.
