12 of the best Silver Grey foliage plants
Updated: Sep 3
Written and edited by Tammy 3rd January 2025
When it comes to searching for plants for your garden that are, hardy, drought tolerant, frost tolerant all the while looking smart and stylish in design, look for plants with silver or grey coloured foliage.
But “why grey, what's so good about it?”
You’ll notice silver or grey coloured plants have either fine soft hairy foliage, a tough leathery surface or a waxy coating. Often, they’ll have smaller, fine of even needle like leaves.
It’s these features that are attributed to the plant’s place of origin, mostly a hot arid climate, and are its defence mechanisms or coping strategies for that climate it originates.
Frost tolerance- fine hairs or a waxy coating prevent frost from being able to make contact with the plant’s leaf or stem surfaces. Bit like the plant has its own coat of armour on!
Drought resistance- the finer the foliage the lesser the demand for water is, in comparison to large lush leafy green foliage. Makes sense!
Temperature extremes- less leaf surface and foliage exposed to direct sun also equals less opportunity for sun burn.
The same applies to plants with a waxy or leathery exterior. You can liken it to the plant having its on natural sunscreen on.
I've put together a list here for you of some of my favourites.
12 best silver grey foliage plants
Cotyedon Orbiculata Pigs Ears
Commonly known as Pigs Ears, Cotyledon Orbiculata is striking succulent with large, waxy, silver white leaves potentially reaching 1m x 1m in height and width.
A perfect plant for a standout contrast of colour in garden beds or rockeries, or you could even use it in pots and containers. It contrasts beautifully against the strappy red phormiums pictured here above.
Being a succulent it's also EASY peezy to propagate making them good value.
Plectranthus Argentatus Spurflower
With velvet-like soft grey, foliage, Plectranthus Argenttatus Silver Spurflower will happily grow Indoors in a bright, well-lit room just as happily as it will outdoors.
Prefers a good organic, free draining, sandy loam.
Add it to a beautiful big urn as a feature or showcase it as an underplanting beneath a lovely big shade tree.
Reaching approximately 60cm -1m in height and equally as wide, striking mauve or white flower spires bloom throughout the warmer months.
Helichrysum Petiolare Licorice Plant
Helichrysum petiolare, commonly known as Liquorice plant is a fantastic little spreading ground cover that grows to around 50cm tall by 1.5 meters wide.
Small fleshy green leaves covered with silvery white fuzz are complimented by dainty white flowers in the warmer months. Perfect for edges, border and fillers. Reaches approximately 50cm in height and can spread upto 1.5m wide.
Convolvulus Cneorum Silver Bush
Convolvulus Cneorum Silver Bush. This one is definitely a standout performer and has won awards rightly so. A dense, bushy, spreading shrub covered in masses of glory type white flowers right throughout the warmer months. Grows to approximately 60cm tall x 1.5meters wide, the perfect plant suited to all situations from borders, edges, mass displays, containers and pots. Extremely good drought tolerance once established.
(This is the one I've mass planted throughout the Naracoorte K&B Mitre 10 car park garden beds. https://www.tjsgardeningworks.space/post/silver-bush-convolvulus-cneorum )
Stachys Byzantina Lambs Ears
Stachys byzantina, Lamb's Ears, a beautiful quirky little ground cover well known for its velvety, soft, fuzzy leaves, truly resembling lambs' ears. A quick spreader that thrives in full sun, and well-drained soils. Reaching aprox 30-50cm tall and spreads upto 1m or more. Giving it a regular drink and the occasional light trim back over the warmer months will keep it looking good and prevent it becoming leggy. Makes for a lovely mass planted filler.
Scenecio Cineraria Silver Dust
Senecio cineraria Silver Dust, Dusty Miller or Silver Ragwort. This one always reminds me of snow flakes. A small compact hardy shrub growing to only around 30cm in height and width. Occasional clusters of small yellow insignificant flowers in Spring, but its prized feature really is its silvery white foliage.
Prefers full sun to partial shade in free draining, sandy or loamy soils. Moderate water requirements but does like to dry out between drinks.
Tolerative of the cold but can be a little frost sensitive. Propagates easily from seed.
Perfect pop of contrasting colour and texture for pots, containers, and cottage garden beds.
Eremophila Glabra Kalbarri Carpet
Eremophila Glabra ‘Kalbarri Carpet’ An award winning, hardy Australian native ground cover, distinguishable by its fine, narrow, silvery grey foliage, and slender, tubular, yellow flowers throughout Spring and Summer.
Thrives in an arid climate and tolerative of drought conditions.
Prefers a full sun aspect in well-drained sandy or loamy soils and has low water requirements once established.
Reaching 30-40cm in height and spreading up to 2m, its perfect for dry native landscape style gardens and better still, ideal for preventing and overcoming soil erosion.
Birds, native wildlife and pollinators will thank you for planting natives too as you'll be providing them with a source of food and shelter.
Scenecio Candicans Angel's Wings
Scenecio candicans Angels wings are a real show-stopper with their large, heart shaped, velvety silver white foliage. The leaves themselves, you could almost liken them to that of the Liquorice plant I also rated here just prior..... only a lot larger!
A popular choice for indoors and outdoors not only for their striking foliage, but for their ability to purify the air as well.
Their bushy, compact growth habit sees them reaching potentially 30-90cm tall and equally as wide.
Loves a bright indirect light if inside and a morning sun to part shade if outside.
Think of that spot beneath a beautiful big shade tree that sees the early to mid-day sun.
A free draining soil or potting medium is ideal, and only water when the top inch of soil is dry.
Susceptible to root rot if over watered and not keen on frosts either. Senecios' are a succulent, so think of the requirements of your other succulents.
Perfect plant to use as a 'filler' under planting to go with something taller, in a "thrill, fill & spill' large urn, pot or container.
Let your imagination go wild!
(Have to say I love love love Scenecio Serpens 'Blue Chalk sticks' too in mass plantings. Another real architectural one 😁🪴)
Westringia Fruticosa Smokey Var.
Westringia Fruticosa 'Smokey' also known as a native coastal rosemary. Westringias' come in a large variety of cultivars, each one unique in the shape, size and colour growth habits.
Smokey is a lovely, variegated form with dainty white to pale mauve flowers from Spring through into Summer. It has a dense, bushy, compact growth habit reaching between 1 to 1.5 meters tall and wide.
A warm arid climate plant, they prefer full sun to part shade, and a well-drained sandy to sandy loan soil. Drought-tolerant once established, a moderate watering is all they need over long dry periods.
Perfectly suited to coastal gardens, borders and hedges, and even more so if attracting, birds, bees and pollinators is a priority for you too.
Calocephalus Brownii Cushion Bush
Calocephalus Brownii Silver Cushion Bush. With fine needle like, hairy silver foliage, how perfect does this specimen look above in a garden here in Naracoorte. It contrasts and beautifully compliments the gnarly old tree limb it's nestled beside as though it's just meant to be there.
The owner has many of them growing throughout her primarily native garden with them thriving in a full sun aspect, in a free draining pure sand soil.
Drought-tolerant once established; particularly with an insulating layer of mulch as she has, the bare minimum of water is all that is required.
Commonly used in gardens and landscapes for its attractive foliage, they tend to reach somewhere between 30 and 90cm in height and width.
They truly look striking as a stand-alone feature in a garden as this one does, but they would look equally as amazing to see a hedge created with them or even in a large rustic urn.
Rhagodia Parabolica Salt Bush
Rhagodia parabolica Salt bush 'Grey Edge'. Any list of grey foliage plants just wouldn't be complete without a salt bush. It doesn't get any hardier.
This particular plant just happens to be growing no more than three meters away from the Cushion Bush pictured above, evidently, its growing preferences are the same. They are thriving!!
Grey Edge grows to a height of 1 to 2 meters, is drought-tolerant once established; and only requires the occasional watering during prolonged dry spells.
Prefers full sun, well-drained sandy or loamy soils; and is tolerative of alkaline saline soils too.
Ideal for soil stabilization in coastal or erosion-prone areas.
Popular in landscaping for its appealing foliage and form.
Lavendula Angustifolia Eng. Lavender
Lavendula angustifolia English Lavender.
There are so many cultivars of English Lavender available, including 'Munstead', 'Hidcote', and 'Royal Purple', each with unique characteristics.
Typically grows between 1 to 3 feet tall, depending on the variety. Produces spikes of small purple flowers that bloom in summer, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies.
It features narrow, grey-green leaves that are aromatic when crushed, and thrives in full sun, free draining, sandy or even gravelly soils.
Lavender might not be exactly a 'silver/grey' foliage plant but I'm still adding it to my list of favourites as it's right up there amongst them for every other reason and some.
Even if grey plants aren't your thing from a colour palate perspective, don't dismiss them until you've done some research.
Tough, drought hardy plants like these are already well adapted and suited to our climate.
Their lower water requirements will not only save you hip pocket but help take the pressure off of our environment and precious resources too.
Keep cool and have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Gardening! 😘🪴
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