There’s a reason Helichrysum has earned names like “everlasting,” “strawflower,” and “golden immortelle.” Across Africa, Eurasia, Madagascar, and even parts of Australia, this remarkable genus has adapted into an astonishing range of forms – from compact alpine cushions on windswept peaks to sprawling coastal pioneers on dunes, and tall, aromatic shrubs rising through savanna grassland. Many species seem almost sculpted for harshness: felted leaves that reflect heat, resinous scent glands that reduce water loss, and papery bracts that hold their colour long after flowering.

In southern Africa especially, Helichrysum becomes a signature of wild landscapes. Some species carpet high Drakensberg slopes like silver mats; others form tidy, upright tufts in montane grassland; and some are so specialised that they cling to cliff faces or root into shallow pockets of stony soil. The flowers, often arranged in tight button-clusters or open daisy-like heads, glow in tones of yellow, cream, white, pink, copper, red, and rose – and in many species the “petals” are actually brilliantly coloured bracts that preserve their beauty even when dried.

Beyond their ornamental appeal, Helichrysum carries deep cultural importance. Many species are traditionally used for fragrance, medicinal preparations, ceremonial burning, and as protective plants. For modern growers, they offer the irresistible combination of wild provenance, drought resilience, and striking textures – a true collector’s genus, equally suited to naturalistic gardens, rockeries, alpine troughs and habitat restoration planting.

Helichrysum argyrolepis

If you love silver-leaved everlastings with a polished, collector-grade finish, Helichrysum argyrolepis is a standout. It forms impressive, tangled clumps that read as “wild-sculptural” in a rock garden, and the papery bracts hold their beauty far beyond the bloom – ideal for naturalistic planting and for harvesting as long-lasting dried material. Like many Helichrysum, it also carries that classic “everlasting” appeal prized by growers worldwide.

Expect a soft-wooded subshrub with greyish-white felted stems and narrow, needle-like to linear-lanceolate leaves. The flower heads are large and solitary at the branch tips, and the bracts are glossy white – often with subtle chestnut tones toward the upper portions (occasionally with a rosy blush). The overall effect is luminous against stone and grass.

In nature it grows in grassland – especially among rocky outcrops – ranging from the Mpumalanga Drakensberg through high-country Mpumalanga and neighbouring Eswatini, down through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to parts of the Eastern Cape region. Flowering is recorded from November to April, making it an excellent warm-season feature in summer-rainfall gardens and in temperate climates abroad with a similar growth rhythm.