Description
Ozthamnus –
There are about 50 species of mostly evergreen shrubs and woody based perennials, with a few being herbs, in this genus. They occur in New Zealand, Australia, and New Caledonia in rocky places and on heath land form the coast to the mountains. They are grown for their often aromatic, even quite resinous and sticky in some species, small, scale like, alternate leaves, and for their solitary or corymb like flowers, displaying daisy like, white, yellow, dark pink flowers. Grow larger species in a shrub border, smaller species are good in a trough, or rock garden.
Grow in moderately fertile, well drained, neutral to acidic soil in a sheltered site in full sun. Protect from excessive winter moisture.
O. rasmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee’ – Helichrysum rosmarinifolium – This compact, upright shrub from Southeastern Australia grows 6-10′ feet tall and half as wide. It produces linear, silvery gray leaves, to 2″ long, white woolly beneath, the edges curved under. From spring to summer it bears fragrant, pink to white flowers, to 1/8″ across, red in bud, in dense terminal corymbs, to 1 ½” across.
Zones 8-9
