Silver Spurflower. Coleus argentatus, synonym Plectranthus argentatus. A spreading woody perennial with large silver grey velvety leaves and spikes of pinky flowers. A good container specimen, it is drought and heat tolerant, surviving with quite a lot of neglect. Although grown mostly for the showy grey foliage, it also has pretty flower spikes of purple "Salvia-like" flowers.

Like all Plectranthus and Coleus species, the most important thing is a free draining soil, particularly in the winter months. It is native to rock outcrops and rainforest in the border region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, where it grows to 100 cm tall and wide. It is described there as a deciduous shrub. This plant is sometimes treated as an annual in cold climates with frost, but in our experience it retains its leaves and just needs a little trimming up each year. In the Algarve, it normally grows to 50 cm high. It is an excellent plant for a large pot or vase on the edge of a patio or balcony, particularly when it has some protected space in which it can spread and hang down over the pot edge.