African Daisy
- African daisy is an excellent addition to your garden.
- African daisy can brighten up your garden with its profusion of blooms.
- They are easy and rewarding to grow, and because they require very little care once planted, you can plant them in the spring and enjoy them all summer long.
- They are also known as butterfly flowers or wild aster, but that isn’t clear, so I’ll stick with African daisies.
What Is It?
African Daisy is a bold, purple flower with a bright yellow center. They help bring happiness to landscapes and gardens. The African Daisy is also known as Osteospermum, which means bone seeds in Greek. The African Daisy is native to South Africa and requires a climate that has warm winters.
The African Daisy is a perennial flower that blooms in the spring and summer. They are a popular flower for bouquets and cut flowers. This daisy is often used in gardens to attract butterflies because of its beauty and fragrance.
In addition to being beautiful, the African Daisy has several medicinal properties such as wound healing, skin lightening, and anti-inflammatory properties. The African Daisy is also used as an antidote for snakebites in some parts of Africa.
Surviving The Harsh Winter
This plant is an excellent option if your winters are harsh and chilly. It can survive temperatures down to 15° F (-9° C). It’s essential to keep in mind that the water requirements of African daisy plants are lower than other flowers, especially during the winter season. Watering it once a week is sufficient in dry weather conditions during the winter. Also, cut off old flowers and foliage as they tend to wither away and die out during the winter months. Since this plant already has a beautiful color, there’s no need to fertilize it! This also saves you money on buying expensive fertilizer products that help your plants grow healthier when they might not work!
Although this plant is relatively hardy against frost, it does help when you protect it from frost with some mulch around its base for insulation. If the leaves get damaged by frost, give them time – new ones will replace them!
Transplanting In Spring
In spring, transplant the clumps of plants. Loosen the soil around the root ball about six inches, then lift the plant out. Divide each clump into three or four smaller ones. Loosen the roots on each division and add compost to provide nutrients to your African daisies. Plant them in a sunny area in well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. The hole should be large enough to accommodate all of the roots without bending them after transplanting; water well, and mulch heavily around the new plants with bark chips or grass clippings to retain moisture in warm weather and protect against frost during winter dormancy.
Care In Summer
- Keep the soil moist.
- Fertilize twice a month during this time with a slow-release fertilizer.
- Prune if necessary, but know that African Daisy will not bloom as well after pruning.
- If you find that your soil is getting too warm for your African Daisies to grow well, consider digging them up and replanting them in another location in your yard.
- Watch for pests, like thrips and aphids.
How To Revive The Plant In The Fall
If you want your African Daisy to thrive in the fall and show off beautiful blooms, there is a good chance that you need to revive it.
But wait, what does it mean when a plant needs reviving? Simple! A plant will need recharging if it is starting to look limp and dull. In this case, you will have to cut off some of its branches or leaves. You can even get rid of the entire plant if it is not looking well anymore.
When Should You Revive an African Daisy?
You should revive your African Daisy in the fall because, at this time, your plants will start losing their vigor and become weak. This happens because they are no longer getting enough sun during the day since they are now receiving less light. Therefore, they will need more water than usual to survive until spring arrives again in late winter or early spring. If you do not revive your plants during this period, they might die off before winter again!
African daisy is a flowering plant you need to have in your backyard.
An African daisy is a flowering plant you need to have in your backyard. It has a long bloom time, from spring to fall. The colors range from white to pink to purple, and the flowers give off a sweet scent when pollinated. They are easy to care for, with minimal upkeep required after the first planting.
African daisies look best in groups. If your yard is big enough, try sprinkling them throughout flower beds or walkways. These little cuties can be grown in pots as well! Hanging baskets of flowering African daisies can also be used on doorsteps and stoops!