Spotlight on:
African Daisy
Osteospermums are a member of the Asteraceae family, just like Shasta Daisies and Zinnias. They like sunny, well-drained conditions. They are considered a tender perennial in Africa, but cannot survive winters in frost prone areas. The cultivars with the dark blue centers will stand some frost, and will be perennial in gardens further north.
African Daisy is another name for Osteospermum. The plant originates in South Africa and is sometimes called Cape Daisy. A wide range of colors are available with pinks and purples being the most common. New cultivars are being introduced all of the time with the palette ranging from pale yellow and orange, to white, pink and purple.
The plants prefer a warm and sunny position and rich soil, although they tolerate poor soil or drought well. Modern cultivars flower continuously when watered and fertilized well, and dead-heading is not necessary. If planted in a container, soil should be prevented from drying out completely. If they do, the plants will go into "sleep mode" and survive the period of drought, but they will abort their flower buds and not easily come back into flower. Moreover, roots are relatively susceptible to rotting if watered too profusely after the dry period.
These plants can be difficult to propagate from seeds in our climate, but respond well to propagation from cuttings with rootone.
