Aussie Reflection™ Yellow Buttons

Aussie Reflection Yellow Buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum 'CAP07') is a native groundcover that fixes the one fault of yellow buttons: most forms live two or three years and fade out. This Ozbreed selection spreads by stolons and rhizomes, so it keeps covering ground and reshoots from below after frost or drought. It holds silver grey foliage about 20cm high, flowers at about 35cm, and spreads 50cm or more across.

Why you'll love it

• It comes back. Running stems and underground rhizomes give it backup root systems, so a plant knocked back by frost or drought reshoots rather than dying out.
• Yellow flowers through the warm months. Bright yellow button flowers from mid spring to late summer feed native bees, hoverflies and butterflies, and the seed feeds other insects.
• Heat, frost and drought tolerant. It takes the inland extremes in its stride.
• Never blocks a view. At 20cm of foliage it sits below a driveway sightline, a window sill or a fence rail.
• Useful where little else is. Green roofs, the tops of retaining walls and dry verges all suit it.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart in a staggered grid, about six plants per square metre, and the stolons close the gaps within a season in warm weather. At 50cm it still joins up, a little later.

Retaining walls and slopes. Set 25cm apart along the top of a wall, four to the metre, and the stems trail over the face and bind the soil behind.

Pots and green roofs. It wants a shallow root run, free drainage and full sun, which makes it one of the few natives happy in a green roof tray or a wide bowl.

Grassy meadows. Mix it through native grasses for a flowering layer that recovers after cutting.

Growing Aussie Reflection Yellow Buttons in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade; more sun gives more flower. It is listed for every state and territory and suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens. In humid areas with long wet spells fungal disease can take hold, so give it open air and sharp drainage there.

Soil. Free draining soil is the main requirement. It bounces back from a period of heavy rain, but sustained wet feet will rot it. On clay, raise the bed or plant on a mound.

Water and feed. Water to settle it in and through the first dry spells, then it manages on rainfall across most of the country. Feeding is rarely needed; a light native slow release fertiliser in spring is enough.

Pruning. Tip prune once most flowers are spent, from mid spring to late summer, and it flushes again. After a hard frost or drought, cut dead stems back as the new shoots emerge from the base. In a humid summer a fungicide is a last resort, not a routine.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Aussie Reflection Yellow Buttons as tube stock and in 140mm pots in packs of 10. Tubes are the economical way to cover a large area and catch up quickly once the roots are down. The 140mm packs give cover along a wall or a bed edge from the start. Plants travel well and start running within weeks in warm weather.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more groundcover plants
• See the full Ozbreed range
• More Australian native plants
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes

Common questions

How quickly does it cover the ground?

Planted 40cm apart in spring, it joins up by the end of the first summer in warm climates. Cooler gardens take a second season.

Does it die back in winter?

Hard frost can brown the top growth, but the plant regrows from its rhizomes in spring. Leave it until the new shoots show, then cut the dead stems away.

Is it suited to humid coastal gardens?

With care. Fungal problems are the risk in prolonged wet weather, so give it full sun, open air and the sharpest drainage you can.