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 populifolium (Gnaphalium populifolium) – Poplar Everlasting

If you like your everlastings bold-leaved and architectural, Helichrysum populifolium delivers. It’s a soft-wooded shrub to about 2 m, instantly recognisable by its large, poplar-like, broadly ovate to almost round leaves with a striking, white-felted underside and pale, felted branchlets.

Endemic to South Africa, in the wild it’s a true East Coast sandstone specialist, occurring from the Durban area southwards into the former Transkei and around to Port St Johns, where it grows on rocky outcrops and cliffs above gorges and along forest margins.

Flowering is mainly autumn into early winter (about March to May), when the plant carries masses of small heads in branched clusters; the blooms are subtly honey-scented, with pale brown outer bracts and paler interiors that read white to yellow up close. In cultivation it’s prized as a fast, attractive semi-shade shrub with dramatic foliage – excellent for woodland-style gardens, shaded patios, and collectors wanting a distinctive South African “strooiblom” that isn’t just about flowers.