I pruned my shrub roses in the front garden in late January and, although they've got a lot of healthy bronze foliage, they've yet to produce any flowers. Arctotis hybrid 'Pink Sugar' has been filling the floral vacuum since December. Their bloom has become more prolific in the past month.
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The plants, commonly called African daisies (but not to be confused with Osteospermum or Gazania, called by the same common name) are evergreen and perennial in my USDA zone 10b garden where frost is not normally an issue. The foliage did get a bit ratty last year when summer arrived early. Some of my plants waited out the intense heat of last summer from the sidelines in pots but I popped them in the new front garden borders in November, where they've been growing exuberantly ever since. The silvery, slightly fuzzy foliage, is thick and healthy.
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They grow well in full to part sun and have low water needs, a big plus in drought-stricken Southern California. In addition to being drought tolerant, they're reported to be deer resistant. My mature plants are about 18 inches (46 cm) tall and almost 2 feet (61 cm) wide.
The flowers are a bright pink with a prominent orange eye but, with their grayish foliage, they blend in well in my Mediterranean plant scheme.
With regular deadheading, the flowers keep on coming. Most sources characterize them as spring to summer bloomers but I've noticed that the bloom here is heaviest during our cool season (winter through spring). Hopefully, irrigation help the plants continue blooming into summer this year.
Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' is my favorite plant this week. You can find other gardeners' favorite plant choices on the last Friday of the month when Loree of danger garden presents her favorites wrap up.
All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
The plants, commonly called African daisies (but not to be confused with Osteospermum or Gazania, called by the same common name) are evergreen and perennial in my USDA zone 10b garden where frost is not normally an issue. The foliage did get a bit ratty last year when summer arrived early. Some of my plants waited out the intense heat of last summer from the sidelines in pots but I popped them in the new front garden borders in November, where they've been growing exuberantly ever since. The silvery, slightly fuzzy foliage, is thick and healthy.
They grow well in full to part sun and have low water needs, a big plus in drought-stricken Southern California. In addition to being drought tolerant, they're reported to be deer resistant. My mature plants are about 18 inches (46 cm) tall and almost 2 feet (61 cm) wide.
The flowers are a bright pink with a prominent orange eye but, with their grayish foliage, they blend in well in my Mediterranean plant scheme.
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| When the sun goes down, the flowers close up |
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| Several of the blooms recently have produced petals in the middle of the central disk |
With regular deadheading, the flowers keep on coming. Most sources characterize them as spring to summer bloomers but I've noticed that the bloom here is heaviest during our cool season (winter through spring). Hopefully, irrigation help the plants continue blooming into summer this year.
Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' is my favorite plant this week. You can find other gardeners' favorite plant choices on the last Friday of the month when Loree of danger garden presents her favorites wrap up.
All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party