African Daisies (A Bloom Day Prelude)

You may have noticed that I generally refer to plants by their botanical names.  Maybe that comes across as pretentious but I do it mainly because those names make the identity of plants clear, whereas common names often confuse matters, even if they're easier to remember and pronounce.   Common names often vary by location and thus may baffle people from different parts of the country or elsewhere in the world.  When I formerly conducted tours of the local botanic garden, the example I used to illustrate this point was Soleirolia soleirolii, a tongue-twister if there ever was one.  I know these plants by the common name of "baby tears" but people in the UK call them "mind-your-own-business."  I asked people on my tours what they would think if they asked someone what that delicate little creeping plant was and the response was "mind your own business."  However, the bigger issue is that many plants bear the same common name, although they may look very different and belong to entirely different genera.

"African daisies" are a prominent case in point.  This common name is used to refer to many plants including those in the genera Arctotis, Dimorphotheca, Gazania, Gerbera, and Osteospermum.  The only things most of them share is that they're native to Africa; they have petals surrounding a central disk; and they belong to the Asteraceae plant family.

Here are examples of those I currently have in my garden:

Arctotis

This is the Arctotis cultivar 'Large Marge'.  It's flowers are particularly big.  They're also even brighter than they appear in my photos - I've joked that they can probably be seen from space.

This is 'Opera Pink', which grows in partial shade in my garden.  All the Arctotis I've seen have grayish green foliage and their flowers have a flat eye at their centers.  I've seen no evidence that they self-seed but they can be propagated via cuttings.

This is 'Pink Sugar', which I've grown for over 10 years.  It and all the Arctotis shown above are hybrid cultivars, none of which are probably found growing as natives in Africa in these forms.  In my experience, all handle sun and heat relatively well.  

Gazania

I expect that most of the Gazanias in my garden are also hybrids.  Many of those I've planted started out as named cultivars but they self-seed freely in my warm climate and they don't always show up looking like their parents.  Those shown above may have originated from a cultivar called 'Golden Flame'.

Some of these may have started out from plants in the 'New Day' series, which is advertised as being particularly drought tolerant.  Like Arctotis, Gazanias can handle intense sun and moderately high temperatures.  Unfortunately, my rabbit visitors seem very fond of them.

This is a cultivar known as 'White Flame' from the Gazania 'Big Kiss' series.  Like Arctotis, Gazanias close their petals in low light, making them less useful as cut flowers; however, those in the 'Sunbathers' series produce ruffled centers that allow the petals to remain open in low light.  My 'Otomi' cultivar isn't blooming at present but you can see others in the 'Sunbathers' series in my 2015 post here.

Osteospermum

I grow more Osteospermums than any other of the so-called African daisies.  I'm especially fond of the varieties with ruffled centers.  Shown above are Osteospermums '4D Silver' and '4D Violet Ice'.

Clockwise from the upper left are Osteospermum '4D Pink', another of my favorites, what I think is 'Serenity Pink', followed by 2 other noID paler pink varieties.  The petals of the plant on the lower left look white in my photo but they're a very pale pink viewed in person.

Osteospermums '4D Sunburst' on the left and 'Double Moonglow' on the right

Osteospermums 'Serenity Bronze' on the left and 'Serenity Coral Magic' on the right, purchased years apart but they look very similar

The 2 Osteospermums on the left are 'Serenity Purple' and the one on the right is 'Purple Spoon'.  I love those with the spoon-shaped blooms but I've found most revert to more conventional petal shapes over time (or when they self-seed).

This self-seeded variety reminds me of Osteospermum 'Berry White'.  I failed to photograph 'Berry White' for comparison purposes but they share similar ruffled centers.  The self-seeded variety has larger blooms and the upper sides of the petals are white rather than pink but the undersides of the petals of both are brushed with bronze color.

The Osteospermum '4D White' on the left appeared in local garden centers just last year.  The simpler white forms shown in 2 different areas on the right are the most common in my garden.  All were self-seeded.

Osteospermums mingle comfortably with one another as shown above.  The plants in general are much more sensitive to heat than either Arctotis or Gazanias.  When temperatures soar, flower production effectively shuts down, only to recover as temperatures decline in late fall.  They're short-lived perennials in my climate but self-seeded plants often replace those that shut down completely.

I don't have any photos of Dimorphotheca or Gerberas to share.  Dimorphotheca flowers look virtually identical to those of Osteospermums to my eyes but the former are annuals whereas Osteospermums are perennials in climates like mine.  Given the frequency with which botanists are reclassifying plants, I'm frankly surprised they haven't been lumped into the same genus.  As to Gerberas, I'm terrible at keeping them alive.  In my experience, they require more water than any of those I'm featured above.

Another thing that annoys me about the frequency with which all these plants are lumped together without distinction under the common name of "African Daisies" is that there's at least one other daisy-flowered African native I can think of that's seemingly never included in that category.

Felicia

The common names for Felicia aethiopica include "blue daisy" and "wild aster".  The specific epithet "aethiopica" actually means "from Africa."  In my garden it blooms year-round if regularly deadheaded.  Like the daisies described above it's relatively drought tolerant.  It's also in the Asteraceae plant family.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day officially falls on Monday, April 15th, but I've already collected a record number of photos from my garden.  The heavier-than-normal rain we've had, recently followed by temperatures in the 70s to low 80sF, has led to a floral explosion.  This post carves the "African Daisies" out of that post and I'm considering other ways to pare down the content of my Bloom Day post, which I don't expect to publish until Wednesday, April 17th.

P.S. By coincidence, prior to finalizing this post, I visited a local garden center yesterday and overheard a woman asking a nursery person for a "pincushion succulent."  When the staffer replied that they didn't carry such a plant I interjected that she might mean a Leucospermum, plants that have flowers described as "pincushions" that are drought tolerant although not classified as succulents.  I pulled up "pincushion plants" on my phone, which showed a Scabiosa (commonly known as "pincushion flower"), followed by a Leucospermum (commonly known as a "pincushion shrub").  She identified the Leucospermum as the plant she was referring to.  I pointed her in the direction of those plants in the garden center and identified another local garden center that also usually has a good supply of the plants.  On my way out, I told the nursery person how things had worked out and she told me that she links "pincushion flowers" to Scabiosas, not Leucospermums and therefore didn't make the connection.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - December 2020

It's been ridiculously dry here in coastal Southern California.  Other than one light rainstorm in mid-November, which delivered just a twentieth of an inch of rain in this location, we've had no rain and, without much in the way of a marine layer, humidity levels have been very low on average.  Plants that usually bounce back in the fall are lagging, even though I'm still running our irrigation system.  The long-term forecast isn't very promising either.  The latest update I read suggests that dry conditions in Southern California may continue through January.

It's cool here but we don't normally get freezes so there are still plenty of flowers, if not as many as I'd like to see.  At this time of year, I truly appreciate the plants that bloom year-round so I'll start off with those those this month.

I don't think I've ever given Gomphrena decembens 'Itsy Bitsy' the starring role in a Bloom Day post so that's long overdue.  The flowers might be small but they're certainly plentiful.

I can always count on the large-flowered Grevilleas when everything else is in decline.
Top row - Grevilleas 'Moonlight' and 'Ned Kelly'
Middle row - two views of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'
Bottom row - two views of the well-named Grevillea 'Superb'

A close-up of hybrid Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'.  I have 10 of these shrubs in my garden.  They need to be pruned back hard at least once a year but I never cut them all back at the same time as I fear the bees and hummingbirds wouldn't forgive me.

Many of the plants that were blooming last month are continuing to put on a good show.

Correas 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Sister Dawn'

Most of the Gazanias in my garden are now self-sown offspring of those I introduced years ago

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' makes the most of the light in the fall garden

Tagetes lemmonii (aka copper Canyon Daisy) is starting to get lanky but I'll give it a bit more time before I cut it back

Some of the usual cool-season bloomers are making a splash right on schedule despite our dry conditions.

Two of the Aloes that have developed bloom spikes are 'Safari Sunrise' (left) and hybrid vanbalenii x ferox (right)

Blooms are back on the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana), although most are way above my head

Calliandra haematocephala (aka pink powder puff) was used as a foundation plant in several spots by a prior owner of our property.  All are regularly sheared within an inch of their lives but one or two manage to produce some blooms every year at this time.

Two varieties of Camellia sasanqua in similar colors were planted by a prior owner under the roof eave on the north side of the house.  This is one of these.

This, lower-growing form, is the other.  I've no names for either cultivar.

I've had Cyclamen in my shade house for years but I admit that I refreshed the plants in this pot this year and moved the older specimens to a shady border

I introduced Mahonia x media 'Charity' in 2016 and it's finally gained some substance

I'm incapable to resisting the allure of Violas and always end up buying plugs at some point even though they're thirstier than most of my plants

I planted several Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' in 2016 for their foliage but they do produce tiny white flowers in the fall

The biggest surprise this December was a very late-blooming milkweed I'd thought was long gone.

I planted three Asclepias cancellata years ago and thought all were gone until this one bloomed when the butterflies have moved along.  The bees seem to like the plant, though.  (Aphids too.)

Another surprise was a bloom spike on my xMangave 'Silver Fox'.

Over the last several years, I've accumulated more Mangaves (intergeneric hybrids of Manfreda and various Agaves) than I can count off-hand, most purchased as small specimens.  'Silver Fox' is the first to produce a bloom spike but it's taking its time to flower.  Agaves are monocarpic but Manfredas aren't.  It remains to be seen which parent 'Silver Fox' will emulate.

And to conclude this post, here are my usual scavenger hunt finds, organized into color collages.

Top row - Eustoma grandiflorum (still producing blooms now and then!), Felicia aethiopica, and Lavandula multifida
Middle row - Limonium perezii (early or late?), Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Polygala fruticosa
Bottom row - Primula x polyantha, noID Scaevola, and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic'

Top row - Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Argyranthemum 'Angelic Giant Pink', and Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid'
Middle row - Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and Osteospermums 'Berry White' and noID pink
Bottom row - Pelargonium peltatum 'Flamingo', Pentas lanceolata, and Persicaria capitata

Dianthus 'Dash White', Lantana 'Lucky White', and self-seeded Osteospermum

Burgundy Pelargonium peltatum and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini Red Bells'

Top row - Argyranthemum 'Yellow Beauty', Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', and Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow'
Middle row - Primula x polyantha, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', and Leonotis leonurus
Bottom row - Osteospermum 'Zion Copper Amethyst' and Zauschneria californica

Thanks, as always, to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for organizing this monthly bloomfest.  For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit her here.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - February 2020

Coastal Southern California really only has two seasons - a cool season during which we get rain (if we're lucky) and a warm-to-hot season, which seems to be getting longer with each passing year.  While our nights are still definitely on the chilly side, we're getting more and more days with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s (Fahrenheit).  I can't say Spring has exploded into being yet but it's slowly creeping in.  More rain might push floral production along more quickly but it's not clear we're going to get much more of that.  In fact, yesterday I heard that California's snowpack is currently sitting at 59% of average with no rain or snow in sight, which doesn't bode well.

Despite the lower than desired rainfall, my usual February blooms appear to be right on schedule.

Ceanothus arboreous 'Cliff Schmidt' on my back slope is putting on its best display yet

Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura', a native of the Canary Islands and always the first of my Echiums to bloom, is putting on a good show

Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein' (left) and Euryops x virgineus 'Tali' (right) are pumping out blooms in the same color but different sizes

Pyrethropsis hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy) is pretty in both bud and bloom

Pyrus calleryana (aka ornamental pear) is a messy tree with funky smelling flowers but it stands out at this time of year

The flowers of Ribes viburnifolium 'Catalina Perfume' are tiny but plentiful

My prostrate rosemary have been blooming for some time but the flowers are now too profuse to ignore

Cooler temperatures have given the African daisies their usual seasonal boost.

The photos on the left and the top right are Arctotis 'Opera Pink' and the one on the lower right is my favorite Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'.  I went overboard this fall pulling up scruffy 'Pink Sugar', assuming that I could get more with little problem but, despite the fact that my remaining plants are blooming, I've yet to be able to find more in my local garden centers (even though I've submitted 2 special orders for them).

Gazanias are popping up all over, although the progeny of many of the self-seeded plants haven't replicated their parental stock

Osteospermums definitely prefer temperatures on the cooler side

I was particularly delighted by the appearance of a couple of early blooms.

Anemones don't do well here, seldom surviving more than one season, and I don't plant them every year but this year I ordered some special tubers and planted them in my cutting garden in early November.  This is Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', the first to bloom.  

I often complain that hellebores are slow to bloom here.  This year Helleborus 'Blue Lady (left) and 'Phoebe' (right) are a month or so ahead of schedule.  'Phoebe's' foliage also seems to have taken on some variegation.

Certain plants can always be depended on to show up.

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) has been blooming for months

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' produced its first blooms before Bloom Day last month, peaked in late January, and is now on the decline

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' has also been blooming for months but the flowers blanket the shrubs now 

Gomphreana decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' has recovered from the hard pruning it received in November

The large-flowered Grevilleas bloom year-round.  Clockwise from the left: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' in a wide shot and a close-up, 'Ned Kelly', and 'Superb'

The small-flowered  Grevilleas join in at this time of year to produce a profusion of blooms.  Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. alpina x rosmarinifolious, G. sericea, and G. rosmarinifolious.

Leucadendrons (aka conebush) don't have flowers in the conventional sense but their bracts take on the appearance of flowers this time of year.  Clockwise from the upper left: Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' in a wide shot and close-up, 'Wilson's Wonder', 'Blush', and 'Safari Sunset'.

I picked up a couple of new flowering plants this month.

In pots by the front door: Boronia crenulata 'Sharks Bay' (left) and hybrid Pericallis 'Magic Salmon' (right)

I've organized the best of the rest of the blooming plants by color for the record.

Top row: Brachyscome angustifolia 'Brasco Violet', Campanula poscharskyana, Felicia aethiopica, and Freesia
Middle row: Iris germanica in bud, Lepechinia bella, noID Muscari, and noID Violas
Bottom row: trailing Lantana and Polygala fruticosa

Clockwise from the upper left: Cyclamen, Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', Eustoma grandiflorum, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Lotus jacobaeus

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum fruticosa 'Everest', Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace', Hippeastrum 'Moon Scene', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', and Westringia 'Morning Light'

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Euphorbia rigida, Phylica pubescens, noID Narcissus, and Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy'

Succulent blooms, top row: Aeonium arbroeum, Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid', and A. 'Safari Rose'
Bottom row: Crassula multicava 'Red', C. orbicularis var rosularis, and C. rupestris 'Springtime'

That's a wrap until next month.  To see what's blooming in other parts of the US and elsewhere in the world, visit the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party