Olearia

These are grown both for their foliage and their flowers. They are not all reliably hardy and many of them do best grown against a warm wall except in the warmer parts of the country. They typically have white daisy flowers, generally borne with great freedom. There are exceptions, among these the Olearia phlogoppapa, a small shrub with aromatic leaves and showy pink, blue or white flowers. A number of varieties have very good foliage in shades of grey or silver. Some forms have downy foliage such as Olearia cheesemanii. The holly-like foliage of Olearia macrodonta, combined with its masses of white flowers and dense domed habits, make it a handsome shrub and one that can be used to make an informal hedge. These are shrubs for sunny positions, and can be easily pruned for containment. They vary in size from around 6 metres to as low as 1.