African Daisy (mix)

African Daisy - Arctotis x hybrida (mixture of colours).
Drought-resistant annual. Plant height 35 cm. Flower diameter 5-8 cm.
A bright "African", which from the base of the bush to the tips of the flower-bearing stems is "shrouded" in silvery pubescence, against which large (orange, white, yellow and cream) inflorescence baskets look especially elegant.

African Daisy looks great in single groups and in mixed plantings on rocky hills, in mixborders and in curbs along the paths, it goes well with summer houses with bright flowers and green foliage. Gives an excellent cut.
Only open sunny places and light neutral soils (without excess organic matter) are suitable for Arctotis. Relatively drought-resistant, watering for adult plants requires moderate. 2-3 times per season, it is desirable to feed with full mineral fertilizer.
For more lush flowering, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences.
Sowing seeds for seedlings in late March and early April. Seedlings appear on the 7-12th day. Seedlings dive into separate pots as early as possible. Planting seedlings in open ground - at the end of May. When transplanting, you need to try to keep a lump, since if the taproot is damaged, the plant may lag behind in growth.
Location: in the homeland of Arctotis, the climate is very hot, but thanks to the abundant night dew, the plants always remain fresh. They grow on rocky soil at the foot of the cliffs and long taproots absorb dew seeping through the stones and provide plants with water (even better than the roots of neighbouring succulents). Requires open, sunny locations. Photophilous, cold-resistant and relatively drought-resistant.

Soil: light, well-drained soils rich in lime. Damp soils and fresh organic fertilizers cannot be tolerated.
Care is simple: weeding, loosening the soil, in very dry times - watering. For better tillering, the plants are pinched.
Reproduction: by seeds, which are sown for growing seedlings in late March - early April in greenhouses, in open ground - in early May. Shoots appear in 7-12 days. Seedlings dive into peat-humus (9 cm) pots or cubes as early as possible. Plants planted in open ground at the end of May quickly start to grow and then delight with abundant flowering. If the seedlings are grown without peat pots, then when transplanted into open ground, the tap root system can be severely damaged, as a result of which the plants stagnate and sometimes even die. Planting is carried out in late May - early June, maintaining a distance between plants of 20-25 cm. For the southern regions, a seedless culture is more suitable.
Usage: in mixed plantings, on rocky slides, in groups, mixborders and for cutting.
Partners: thanks to the white pubescent leaves, they are perfectly combined with low plants: marigolds, verbena, godetia, petunia, Drummond phlox, nasturtium and other plants with bright flowers and green leaves.

Eng.: African Daisy. Bot. syn.: Arctotis venusta, Arctotis rosea, Arctotis stoechadifolia.