Blue daisy (Felicia amelloides): characteristics and growing guide

Now that summer is ending, in the middle of autumn and winter looming, we take to talking about blue daisies ( Felicia amelloides ). That’s right, blue, very colorful and with abundant flowering peeeeero, not now. We will look forward to next spring. It is only to be contrary but here you have it and we will tell you its characteristics.

THE ENDLESS FAMILY OF ASTERACEAE

If someone looks out into your garden and says: That’s an asteraceous! … and you will think: This is a connoisseur … but he is still playing it and he may even get it right. It is a huge family. It consists of tens of thousands of species and together with the rosaceae they form one of the largest groups of plants. So between asterácea and rosacea you almost certainly hit the mark.

The same sounds more to you if I say family of the compounds. Is the same. The composites are plants that are classified according to their inflorescence (among other things) and one of the best known if not the most is …… indeed: the daisy. The “daisy-like” flower is an asteraceous. In reality, that yellow center is many flowers arranged in a floral chapter and the white petals (in the case of the daisy) are the bracts of the flower. Another example of a flower organized in very common chapters and that you will surely know is … The sunflower! . Another example of Asteracea is lettuce. And you may wonder … What is the lettuce flower like? As you can see, it has more or less the same configuration in its inflorescence.

Inflorescence of a lettuce (Asterácea)

THE FLOWER OF FELICIA AMELLOIDES

The Felicia amelloides , as you can see in the cover photo, has exactly this form of inflorescence. The flowers do not exceed 5cm. The flowering period occupies the end of spring, the whole summer and part of the fall. Well cared for we will have blue daisies a good part of the year Let’s talk a little more about it and its conditions.

Some types of blue daisy belong to the group of edible flowers and are used to decorate cakes and desserts due to their intense color.

WE ALREADY KNOW THE FLOWER, BUT WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DOES THE VEGETATIVE PART HAVE?

It has a bushy bearing, we would say that it is almost creeping but in reality it is not. Of course, when it is good, it covers large areas of the ground. It is a very dense species. It has an approximate height that barely reaches half a meter. Its edaphoclimatic characteristics, as we will now see, allow it to be a very interesting option in areas around garden edges, flower beds and it is even very appropriate for rockery gardens. 

WHAT CONDITIONS DO WE NEED TO GROW THE BLUE DAISY? 

WEATHER

Here comes the catch. It does not withstand temperatures that are too low and is often grown as an annual ornamental . If the winter temperatures drop between 0 and -5 or below for long periods of time you will not stand it. So the typical cold winters of continental climate will kill it. Either we leave it indoors or we will have to reseed the following spring. It is actually a perennial plant because in warm and temperate areas it is maintained throughout the year.

I USUALLY

The Felicia amelloides needs a well – drained soil . Tolerates poor and calcareous soils. This does not mean that we should put this soil. If we enrich it in organic matter and give it fertility, the plant will respond much better and its flowering will be greater.

IRRIGATION

Excess water will kill the blue daisy. Hence it needs good drainage in the soil . It resists drought but that doesn’t mean we should neglect it. An optimal dose of water with a fertile soil and a minimum pruning of the tips in spring are the 3 basic things that will provide us with a good flowering.

In addition, it is resistant to drought and it will be better to sin by default than by excess water as in many of the plants we are talking about.

REPRODUCTION

Through seed it can be done at the end of winter although protected especially in cold areas due to the high probability of low temperatures on specific days. In areas with temperate or warm climates that allow it to be kept outdoors, we can divide the bush or cutting in spring or autumn without problem.

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