Osteospermum Summersmile Soft Violet - Cape Daisy

Osteospermum Summersmile 'Soft Violet' is part of a new generation of highly branched and floriferous hybrids. Formerly known as Dimorphoteca or Cape Daisy this not very hardy perennial, sun-loving, flowers over a long period, even in hot weather. Its flowers resemble large daisies made up of a row of mauve petals surrounding a large yellow to brown centre. They close if there is insufficient light. This plant, often grown as an annual, tolerates heat, sea spray, drought, and poor soils.

Mostly native to South Africa, Osteospermum are perennial or annual plants closely related to Dimorphotecas and belonging, like them, to the Asteraceae family. Most of the osteospermums cultivated in gardens are hybrids of uncertain origin. They are generally very robust plants, useful for ornamental purposes in dry soils. Their preferred region in South Africa corresponds to the Atlantic coast, which has a Mediterranean climate.

Summersmile Soft Violet' is a recent variety that stands out for its floriferousness and branching habit, ideal for container gardening. It blooms from May to October, depending on the cultivation method and climate. The plant, reaching maturity in a few months, will grow to about 35 to 50 cm (14 to 20in) in all directions, forming a truly generously blooming bouquet. Its flowers are quite large compared to the size of the plant. They are a soft violet, and are carried on branched stems emerging from glossy, toothed green foliage. Usually grown as an annual in temperate climates, the plant can regrow from the stump in spring if the winter is not too cold (maximum hardiness -8°C (17.6°F)) and the soil is well-drained.

Osteospermums have become essential, as they are very willing to cover dry slopes in open ground (or containers on terraces and balconies exposed to heat) with a blanket of flowers. They can be combined in a dry garden with nepetas, shrubby salvias, verbenas, lantanas, or immortelles. They will accentuate borders and flower rockeries. They will form remarkable ground cover in a mix of colours. In flowering containers, they can be paired with bidens or Erigeron karvinskianus, for example.

Young plants measuring 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) in cases of 5 small plugs measuring 3cm (1in) in diameter and 4cm (2in) in height. Our plants are at least eight weeks old and are strong enough to be planted in open ground.

Note: Attention, our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, repot and store them under cover (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before they can be planted outdoors once the risk of frost has definitively passed.