Rhagodia parabolica 'Grey Edge'
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Grey Edge Saltbush
Botanical Name: Rhagodia parabolica ‘Grey Edge’
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Origin: Australia (South Australia – coastal and arid regions)
Plant Type: Evergreen shrub / groundcover
Overview
A refined selection of South Australia’s native saltbush, Rhagodia parabolica ‘Grey Edge’ is prized for its dense, low-growing habit and striking silver-grey foliage edged with soft green tones. Exceptionally tough and perfectly suited to Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate, it thrives in heat, wind, drought and coastal exposure with minimal care.
Forming a tidy, spreading mound, ‘Grey Edge’ is ideal for modern native gardens, coastal landscapes, verges, and waterwise designs where year-round structure and colour contrast are needed. Its foliage is not fragrant, but the silvery tones intensify in dry or exposed conditions, adding strong architectural appeal.
Key Features
- Mature Size: 0.4–0.6 m H × 1.0–1.5 m W (low, spreading shrub)
- Growth Rate: 20–40 cm per year under good conditions
- Foliage: Thick, oval leaves with soft silver-grey colouring and green margins; evergreen; foliage may appear brighter silver in full sun and dry conditions
- Flowers: Small, insignificant greenish flowers in spring–summer (grown for foliage, not flowers)
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Fragrance: Not fragrant
- Seasonal Interest: Year-round silver foliage with subtle seasonal tonal shifts
- Wildlife Value: Dense growth provides shelter for small birds, reptiles and beneficial insects
- Tolerance: Extremely drought-tolerant once established; outstanding heat, wind and salt tolerance; coastal front-line capable; light frost hardy
- Planting Density: Groundcover or mass planting: 1 plant per 1.5–2 m²; informal low hedge: 1–1.2 m spacing
- Pet Friendly: Generally considered non-toxic
Where It Works Best
- Sunlight: Full sun to light part shade (best colour and density in full sun)
- Soil: Free-draining sandy, loamy or limestone soils; tolerates poor, rocky and alkaline soils common across Adelaide
- Water Needs: Establishment: 2 deep soaks/week for 6-8 weeks. Established: deep soak every 10-14 days in summer; monthly in winter if dry.
- Maintenance: Very low — light trim if required to shape; no regular fertiliser needed
- Lifespan: 15–25+ years
- Climate Zones: Ideal for Mediterranean and arid South Australia — Adelaide Plains, coastal suburbs, Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula
- Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline; tolerant of mildly acidic soils if well drained
Landscape & Design Ideas
- Waterwise groundcover or low shrub for modern native gardens
- Coastal and exposed sites where other plants fail
- Silver contrast planting with grevillea, westringia, lomandra and eremophila
- Verge, median strip and large-scale landscape plantings
- Informal low hedging or soft boundary definition
Why You Will Love It
‘Grey Edge’ is pure South Australian toughness wrapped in elegant silver foliage. It shrugs off heat, wind and drought while delivering year-round structure with almost no maintenance. If you want a native plant that looks designer but behaves like a survivor, this one earns its place fast.