Everlasting Daisies
Margery Stutchbury
I have enjoyed growing Australian everlasting daisies since joining the Australian Daisy Study Group some 15 years ago. The species I found that grow well in Bundaberg have been Rhodanthe chlorocephala ssp. rosea, R. manglesii, R. oppositifolia ssp. ornata, R. anthemoides (unbranched) and Ammobium alatum.
Other species I have grown include R. chlorocephala ssp. splendida, Schoenia cassiniana, S. filifolia ssp. filifolia and S. filifolia ssp. subulifolia.
Seed sowing in late April and early May results in the first blooms appearing in late July. August and September bring delightful displays of pink and yellow. Busy times are spent just enjoying the picking of fresh blooms to hang and dry. October and November are the seed collection months. The garden is then rested under mulch during the hot summer months.
As most of the daisies close up at night and in damp/wet conditions, it is best to pick blooms in the morning before the heat (once they have opened!) and in the cool of the later afternoon (before they close!). Freshly opened flowers are picked and put straight into a container of water until they can be sorted and hung upside down in small bundles in a cool dry place (clothes airing racks are useful for this). In fact daisies end up hanging in some strange places around our house. Daisies to be wired are also put in water when picked and can be sprayed with clear gloss finish used in craft work. Wiring is best carried out within a few hours of picking.
Freshly picked and dried flowers will often last up to two years in an arrangement. My dried flowers are used to make flat table decorations, hanging posies and floral arrangements that can be given away for birthday and Christmas presents. Daisies are also useful when wired to use in baskets or other containers with fillers to hide the wire. Dried flower arrangements may close up in damp weather, but will open again if exposed to good light or sunlight.
Seed collection of the paper daisies is great fun and small grandchildren enjoy helping out with this activity. Stored in airtight containers the seeds can be popped in the freezer for 24 hours to do away with any seed-eating bugs.
| Photos: Australian Daisy Study Group; Brian Walters |
Rhodanthe chlorocephala ssp. rosea, are pink or white with yellow or black disc centres. Easy to grow, this daisy requires no pre-sowing treatment. Seed should be sown in autumn in a sunny area, sprinkled over the soil, lightly raked and gently watered in. Seeds need to be kept moist until germination takes place, usually within ten days. This daisy can be grown in pots or in a cottage garden but if you have room to mass plant, it makes a spectacular display in August and September.
Rhodanthe manglesii is a beauty. Delicate hanging silver buds open to pale pink or white flower heads. Cordate grey-green leaves add to its charm. Seed germination can be slow but is usually successful after soaking in smoked water solution for 24 hours. It likes open situations with a little bit of shade in hot conditions. R. manglesii are great for picking and, when hung to dry, are excellent for arrangements. Very pretty double flowers of R. manglesii have appeared in my garden for a few years now and there is no sign of any seed appearing.
Rhodanthe oppositifolia ssp. ornata has blue-green leaves and pretty yellow flower heads at the tips of the stems. Seed sown in autumn germinates poorly unless pre-treated with smoke solution with one drop of soil wetter added. However, since I first propagated this species some years ago, I have had poor results from sowing treated seed and have come to rely on self-sown seedlings coming up where they were previously grown. This daisy has been most successful in long rectangular plastic pots which get morning sun and afternoon shade. Some plants which grow in the open garden situation are much poorer specimens. The potted plants hang nicely over the edges with many yellow blooms on display. Although small, the flowers dry nicely if picked when just opened. Little dried yellow bunches are a great addition to small bouquets.
Rhodanthe anthemoides (unbranched). In our hot climate this daisy will do best in semi-shade in the garden or in pots. However, it will thrive in full sun if looked after and, if water is available, will last for two years. A small white flower is carried at the end of each arching stem, making an attractive plant. These flowers can be hung or wired and make delicate additions to a bunch of wildflowers. Seed requires no pretreatment and germination is good.
Ammobium alatum. This plant with basal leaves sends up several tall stems each carrying several white flower heads. Seed, best sown in trays, needs no pre-treatment and germination is usually good. These daisies like sunshine in a relatively sheltered part of the garden and do not like extreme heat. Flowers are charming and make ideal fillers and, when hung and dried, make valuable contributions to floral arrangements, particularly if picked when just opening.
Rhodanthe chlorocephala ssp. splendida. These daisies are a beautiful delicate creamy white and are well worth trying. I have had success a couple of times soaking seed in a smoke solution with a drop of wetting agent added. Plants I have grown have been smaller and not as robust as R. chlorocephala ssp. rosea and do not like extreme heat.
Schoenia cassiniana is noted for spectacular pink displays in Western Australian bushland. I have grown it in pots rather than in the open garden. Seed can germinate erratically even with pre-treatment with smoke or gibberellic acid. Flowers last well in water, but flower clusters tend to droop when dried.
Schoenia filifolia ssp. filifolia and S. filifolia ssp. subulifolia. These plants have similar yellow flowers and are suited to pot culture or border plants. Seed germinates readily when treated with gibberellic acid. These daisies can be wired but are probably best hung and dried. A small bunch of these yellows makes a charming posy.
Xerochrysum species. Mostly self-sown now, these everlastings keep my garden colourful when the annuals I have described above are finished. Xerochrysum are ideal for wiring and arranging. If picked in firm bud they mostly keep their nice bud shape and are very good for basket arranqements.
The Australian Daisy Study Group is now in recession waiting for a new Leader to come forward. The retiring Committee, based in Victoria, has done a wonderful job over 27 years, including producing three books - "Australian Daisies" (1987), "Australian Brachyscomes" (1995) and "Everlasting Daisies of Australia" (2002).
From the newsletter of the Society for Growing Australian Plants (Queensland), March 2009.
Australian Plants online - 2009
Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)
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