African plants – Osteospermum

Name – The scientific name is derived from the Greek osteon = bone and Latin spermum = seed – relating to the extreme toughness of the seed case. It has been given several common names including African Daisy, South African Daisy, Cape Daisy and Blue-eyed Daisy.

Description – Cape Daisy colours range from white through to yellow, pink and deep purple. Some old favourites such as 'Whirligig' and 'Pink Whirls' have spoon shaped petals, and all varieties have the classic daisy shaped flower. Many varieties have a second colour for the underside of the petals, white tops that are blue beneath, pink tops with purple undersides etc.

Origin – These are plants that come from South Africa and they thrive on heat, so set them in full sun to get the most out of them, not least because Osteospermums require full sun for the flowers to open completely. Remove wilted flowers on a regular basis and trim stems when necessary as the plant sets fresh side shoots readily. It's best to cut them back in early spring or autumn, and because most Osteospermums are not hardy it is recommended that you over winter plants or take cuttings for the following year, take your cuttings in late summer and keep them on a windowsill indoors where they will take up less room than if you brought the whole plant inside. Like all members of the daisy family these plants perform well in pots and containers, but if container planted, ensure the soil never dries out completely because if it does the plants will go into ‘sleep mode’ – a form of dormancy – designed to help them survive a period of drought, which means they will abort all the buds and may even refuse to come back into flower.

African osteospermum photograph by bc anna, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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