Olearia phlogopappa Spring Bling - Dusty daisy bush

Olearia phlogopappa Spring Bling ('Arkpap') is an evergreen coastal shrub that becomes covered in an impressive display of white daisies with yellow centres from late spring. Its fine, silvery-grey foliage is pleasantly fragrant and forms a dense, luminous mass in all seasons. This Australian shrubby daisy, or tree aster, can be grown in borders in coastal gardens. Elsewhere, it can be grown in a container on a terrace so it can be overwintered protected from frost.

A member of the Asteraceae family, the species Olearia phlogopappa is a shrubby plant native to southeastern Australia. It is found in the wild from the coast of New South Wales and Victoria to the heathlands, rocky slopes and open forests of Tasmania. There it grows in well-drained, more or less poor soils. Olearia phlogopappa is an evergreen shrub, very variable depending on the subspecies. It forms bushes 0.5 to 2 m tall in the wild, widely used in Australia for vegetating slopes and roadsides.
The cultivar 'Spring Bling' is a selection protected by a Plant Breeder's Rights certificate under the varietal name 'Arkpap' and obtained by Country Park Nursery Ltd. It stands out for its more compact and very branched habit, more abundant flowering, more concentrated in spring, and particularly silvery and fragrant foliage. In a temperate climate, Olearia phlogopappa Spring Bling reaches 1.30 m to 1.50 m in height for a comparable width in 8 to 10 years; its growth is fairly rapid in the first few years. The greyish, slightly hairy twigs start from the base and form a dense, rounded bush that withstands wind well. The narrow to linear, 2 to 5 cm long leaves are leathery, matt grey-green on top, whitish and covered with fine star-shaped hairs on the underside; they give off a herby scent when crushed. The shrub retains its leaves in winter. In spring, from May to early June, depending on the region, the tips of the twigs become laden with very full clusters or corymbs of flower heads 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Each small "daisy" has about ten white ligulate florets surrounding a centre of golden-yellow tubular florets; the flowering is so dense it hides the foliage. It is visited by many pollinating insects. The hardiness of this variety is estimated at -8/-10°C in brief spells in well-drained soil. It requires a free-draining soil, without excess stagnant water in winter, and light pruning just after flowering.

In the garden, plant Olearia phlogopappa 'Spring Bling' in a sunny position, sheltered from the coldest winds. It can be placed at the back of a border, in an informal low hedge or in a large container on a terrace. It associates well with colourful perennials such as Agastache 'Beelicious Purple', Nepeta 'Neptune' and Agapanthus 'Poppin' Purple'. In a scree garden or coastal garden, it can be paired with other small evergreen shrubs; Buddleja 'Silver Anniversary', Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Ball' and Olearia × haastii will complement its frothy flowering.

The specific epithet phlogopappa comes from the Greek *phlogos* ("flame") and *pappos* ("egret"), in reference to the fruit's feathery hairs, described as slightly coloured in the first description of the species.