Senecio x greyi Sunshine

Senecio greyi Sunshine or Brachyglottis, also known as Tree Senecio, is primarily admired for its bushy habit, dense foliage, and beautiful silvery-green leaves, which give it a silver ball-like appearance, even in winter, under pale sunlight, in a flowerless and colourless setting. As pleasing to the eye as it is to the touch, it also offers charming summer flowering in golden-yellow, in the form of small daisies. Brachyglottis, formerly classified as Senecio, are all native to New Zealand. They are small, endearing shrubs, resistant to salt spray and drought, not demanding of well-drained soil, and hardy down to -12/-15 °C. They are easy to cultivate in large pots, in well-drained soil.

Senecio greyi is a shrubby plant in the Asteraceae family, superseded in horticulture by its hybrids, known as Dunedin hybrids, among which Sunshine is undoubtedly the most widely planted in gardens. Native to New Zealand, the species grows on cliffs and rocky outcrops, from the coast to the inland river gorges, in the south of the North Island.

Eventually forming a branching, bushy shrub, with a slightly spreading habit, reaching about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in all directions, this Senecio Sunshine will need regular pruning to prevent its base from becoming bare, especially in fertile and moist soil. The growth of this plant occurs at a regular, rather rapid pace, triggered by rains, mainly in late summer and spring in mild climates. The branches bear entire, ovate leaves, 10 cm (3.9 in) long. They are dark green on the upper surface, whiter underneath, and completely covered in white hairs. Each leaf is surrounded by a white border. Leafy flower stalks, branched at the base and at their ends, rise among the foliage, bearing small 2.5 cm (1 in) head-like inflorescences in a very bright yellow, carried in loose clusters.

Senecio Sunshine is a plant suited to maritime climates and dry soil. It is relatively hardy if care is taken to plant it in well-drained soil and in a sheltered location. It naturally blends in, in a dry garden or on a large rockery, with Mediterranean plants such as lavenders, rosemary, Helychrisum italicum, Cistus or Convolvulus cneorum. To make it stand out in a border, away from other grey or silver foliage that could overshadow it, it can also be mixed with purple foliage like that of Loropetalum Fire Dance or Pittosporum Tom Thumb. The bright pink or red flowers of shrubby salvias (Salvia greigii, Salvia Royal Bumble) are perfectly complemented, from spring to late autumn, by all grey foliage.