Osteospermum fruticosum - Trailing African Daisy
The Osteospermum fruticosum, commonly known as the Trailing African Daisy, is a prostrate, fast-spreading perennial from the Cape coast of South Africa. Trailing stems root as they run and carry thick, slightly fleshy grey-green leaves, covered through the cooler months with mauve and white daisy flowers that open with the sun. It closes ground faster than almost any other flowering ground cover and flowers hardest in winter and spring, when much of a dryland palette is quiet. It is used on banks, verges, medians and in wide beds where fast, colourful cover is wanted. Specifications: Height: 0.2 to 0.3 metres Width: 1 to 1.5 metres, spreading by rooting stems Native to: The Cape coast of South Africa Foliage: Thick, slightly fleshy, grey-green leaves on trailing rooting stems; evergreen Growth rate: Fast Conditions: Soil: Prefers well-drained sandy or gravelly soils; tolerates poor and alkaline ground and dislikes waterlogging Light: Full sun Water: Low; drought-tolerant once established Climate: Thrives in Mediterranean, arid, semi-arid and coastal regions; flowers hardest in the cooler months Additional Features: Flowers: Mauve and white daisy flowers with darker centres, carried heavily through the cooler months and opening with the sun Uses: Bank and slope cover, verge and median planting, wide bed mass, fast colour cover on new sites Spacing: Plant 0.5 to 0.8 metres apart for a closed cover within one season Low Maintenance: Cut back after the main flowering flush to prevent the centre going bare; no feeding required Pest Resistance: Generally robust where drainage is good Drought Tolerance: Good once established, holding foliage through summer on low irrigation Salt Tolerance: Tolerates coastal salt wind, reflecting its origin on the Cape coast Erosion Control: The rooting trailing stems bind loose material on banks and verges quickly The Trailing African Daisy is the fastest route to flowering cover on a bank, and it performs in the season when most of the palette has stopped.