Olearia virgata ‘Lineata’ (Small Leaved Tree Daisy)

A large evergreen shrub from New Zealand with gracefully arching stems and needle-ish foliage which looks akin to a stretched rosemary. Clusters of silvery leaves are spaced along each stem with almost pedantically even spacing: imagine a string of barbed wire. That’s not to sell this shrub short: the density and profusion of stems make it a very attractive and unusual plant for the discerning gardener and you won’t spot many in the average plot. Trunks, when they form, are greyish-silver and deeply furrowed. Flowers are produced all along the stems in great profusion. Their impact is nasal rather than visual: from a distance you’d barely spot their teeny buff puffs but the sweet scent they pump out is powerful and pervasive. Plant one for the scent alone. 

A very useful shrub for coastal gardens (excellent for hedging) where it will display its high tolerance for salty winds and create vital pockets of shelter for more delicate companions. It will tolerate partial shade and manage through drought once established. Cold pockets in valleys and sites away from the milder coasts are not ideal: choose the sunniest spot and shelter from icy winds.