Convolvulus cneorum (Silver Bush) – Silver Leaved Evergreen Shrub (2L Pot)

A silky silver leaved evergreen that opens white trumpet flowers from pink buds all through the summer.

Convolvulus cneorum, the silver bush, makes a compact mound of about 50cm to 60cm tall and wide. The lance shaped leaves are covered in fine silky hairs that give the whole plant a silver sheen, and they look good in every month of the year. From late spring to late summer soft pink tinged buds open into pure white funnel shaped flowers, one after another over a long season. This is the shrubby Mediterranean plant, not the weed bindweed, and the two are easily confused by name alone.

Give it the sunniest, sharpest drained spot you have. It is borderline in Britain: it comes through an average winter in very free draining soil or a gritty pot, but a cold wet winter on clay will usually kill it, because it dies of winter wet rather than of cold. A gritty container or a raised gravel bed is safer than an open border on heavy ground, and a sheltered place against a warm wall helps. Once established it needs very little water. A light trim after flowering keeps it neat.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Silver bush, shrubby bindweed
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: About 50cm to 60cm tall and 50cm to 60cm wide
• Growth Habit: Compact, mounding evergreen shrub
• Perfect For: Gravel gardens, raised beds, sunny borders, Mediterranean planting and gritty containers
• Foliage: Silvery green, silky, lance shaped leaves, held all year
• Flowering Time: Late spring to late summer
• Planting Position: Full sun and sheltered, with sharp drainage. A gritty pot or a raised gravel bed suits it best.
• Soil Type: Very free draining, poor to moderately fertile. It does not want rich feeding and will not take winter wet.
• Hardiness: Borderline. It comes through an average winter given sharp drainage, but a cold wet winter on heavy ground will usually kill it.
• Maintenance: Low. Light trim after flowering.
• Seasonal Interest: Spring and summer, with silver foliage all year
• Type: Evergreen Mediterranean shrub