In the garden Orphium frutescens is a wonderful plant with its bright summer flowers, fresh green leaves and the ability to grow in wet spots. It is a remarkably tough plant, able to grow close to the sea, coping with ease with the wind, sand and brakish soil.

It grows just as well in the garden with light, well-drained soil containing compost and regular watering. Plant orphiums in full sun and pinch the tips of the young plants to encourage bushy growth. For the best display plant them close to each other for support as they often get untidy at the base and fall over. Orphium plants should be replaced after two years in the garden as they become rather straggly and untidy. They also look beautiful peeping through the long narrow stems of restios and the strappy leaves of Dietes or Agapanthus.

Orphium frutescens can be propagated from seed or cuttings. The seeds are hard, little, brownish balls, which germinate freely in about two weeks. Sow them in a container filled with well-drained soil and cover lightly with a thin layer of milled bark or white sand after sowing. Place the tray in a well-ventilated shady spot and keep moist. The seedlings can be planted out as soon as they are big enough to handle, directly into the garden or into pots to grow on. Orphium frutescens responds well to feeding with organic fertilizer like Seagro. Cuttings made from the tips also root quite easily.