There’s a reason Helichrysum has earned names like “everlasting,” “strawflower,” and “golden immortelle.” Across Africa, Eurasia, Madagascar, and even parts of Australia, this remarkable genus has adapted into an astonishing range of forms – from compact alpine cushions on windswept peaks to sprawling coastal pioneers on dunes, and tall, aromatic shrubs rising through savanna grassland. Many species seem almost sculpted for harshness: felted leaves that reflect heat, resinous scent glands that reduce water loss, and papery bracts that hold their colour long after flowering.

In southern Africa especially, Helichrysum becomes a signature of wild landscapes. Some species carpet high Drakensberg slopes like silver mats; others form tidy, upright tufts in montane grassland; and some are so specialised that they cling to cliff faces or root into shallow pockets of stony soil. The flowers, often arranged in tight button-clusters or open daisy-like heads, glow in tones of yellow, cream, white, pink, copper, red, and rose – and in many species the “petals” are actually brilliantly coloured bracts that preserve their beauty even when dried.

Beyond their ornamental appeal, Helichrysum carries deep cultural importance. Many species are traditionally used for fragrance, medicinal preparations, ceremonial burning, and as protective plants. For modern growers, they offer the irresistible combination of wild provenance, drought resilience, and striking textures – a true collector’s genus, equally suited to naturalistic gardens, rockeries, alpine troughs and habitat restoration planting.

Helichrysum milfordiae – Milford Everlasting; Immortelle de Milford

Few plants say “high Drakensberg” as perfectly as Helichrysum milfordiae. This is a mat-forming, silver-woolly alpine with show-stopping bracts – one of those species that turns a simple rock slab or trough into a miniature mountain landscape. It’s also excellent for collectors because the plant’s form is as beautiful out of flower as it is in bloom.

It forms prostrate, gnarled woody stems and innumerable congested leaf rosettes, with short erect flowering stems rising above the mat. The heads are large and solitary, with bracts that are glossy white and mostly tipped crimson or dark brown, creating that iconic white-with-dark-tips contrast. Flowering is from late December to February.

Indigenous to South Africa, in nature it grows in rock cracks and cliff faces, recorded only from the high Drakensberg on the KwaZulu-Natal–Lesotho border (Mont aux Sources/Oxbow area south to Sani Pass and Hodgson’s Peaks), around 2,985–3,500 m. For international growers: full sun, cold nights, a gritty alpine mix, and impeccable drainage are the keys—think “cushion plant culture,” not rich border soil.