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NAME: Arctotis x Flame |
AKA: African daisy |
TYPE: Tender perennial |
FAMILY: Asteraceae or aster family relatives include bachelor’s buttons,boltonia, chamomile, cosmos, coreopsis, helichrysum, sunflowers. |
VITAL STATS: Daisy-like flowers one to a stem measure 3 inches in diameter; plant grows about 18 inches wide and one foot tall. |
NATIVE LAND: South Africa |
BLOSSOM TIME: Mid-summer through fall |
BEST FEATURES: Gorgeous orange daisy with yellowish centers and woolly silver- green leaves with wavy margins; stays in the spotlight all season long, until a hard frost brings down the curtain; has a charming habit of closing up at night and on cloudy days; drought tolerant. |
LIKES: Full sun, light watering, cool summer days. |
SWORN ENEMIES: Tough beauty resists most pests, but aphids and downy mildew are occasional |
PLANT PARTNERS: Lovely at the edge of beds and borders or weaving among perennials; happy with gazania and gerbera daisies; a stand-up container plant. |
TLC: Plant after danger of frost is past, spacing 12 inches apart; deadhead after the first summer rush; propagate from seed or cuttings anytime. |
HARDINESS ZONE: 9 to 11 |