If you’re visiting the Drakensberg in the summer, Everlastings really do make a wonderful show. Commonly called “Everlastings” their botanical name is helichrysum splendidum. You’ll see them everywhere.
They’re quick growers and soon become imposing shrubs at 1 or 2 metres tall spreading into dense, gray mounds. Between November and February the shrub is covered with bright yellow flowers which take a few weeks to open fully to reveal deep yellow centres.
It’s evergreen, frost-hardy (needs to be to survive here!) and well adapted to drought conditions – small leaves covered in woolly hairs reduce water loss. It likes full sun, good drainage and should not be over-watered.
It needs space or it will smother its neighbours and its best used “mass planted” to line a path or a lawn or as a backdrop in a bed. It will grow for quite a few years without becoming woody or untidy.
They are easy to grow and, if you like, we would be delighted to give you a cutting or two from the garden. It makes a colourful display throughout the summer particularly in the late afternoon when the silver-gray foliage really stands out.
Oh, and did I mention, they makes great cut flowers in a vase?
Elsa Pooley’s Field Guide to the flora of the region mentions its role in African Traditional Medicine as a treatment for rheumatism. Another role for the Everlasting is that they are often grown specifically for drying (why they’re called Everlastings). The flower heads have very low moisture content. Pick them young, cut the stems and hang upside down to dry in a warm place with good air circulation.
Everlastings – Floral Symbol of the 'Berg.
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