Silver linings

Bringing the outback into his garden, Toby celebrates the glowing majesty of a special silver Australian export

- Toby Buckland

AUSTRALIA boasts a bonanza of 24,000 different species of trees, shrubs, and flowers, making our meagre native flora of 1,400 look like a losing cricket score.

But few of these Aussie originals – bar the notable exceptions of gum trees and bottlebrush – have gone on a walkabout to our gardens, meaning the best of Down Under’s diversity is still to come.

There is one new arrival in nurseries, though: the cushion bush. Although brought to Blighty circa 1817, its garden worthiness has been a well-kept secret inside the confines of herbariums and the high walls of botanic gardens. And when you look at this unusual plant, you can sort of see why.