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