Rhodanthemum hosmariense Marrakesh - Moroccan Daisy

The 'Marrakesh' Moroccan Daisy, known as Rhodanthemum hosmariense or Leucanthemum hosmariensis in Latin, is a beautiful selection with pink flowers, resembling small daisies on a cushion of finely silver foliage. Already stunning in late winter, when it displays its particularly graphic flower buds, this less hardy perennial is often grown as a biennial in cool and humid climates. It blooms very early in the ground, for several weeks, rests when it's dry, then blooms again in late summer or autumn. It's a gem for rock gardens, easy to grow in mild climates in well-drained soil, but also a superb biennial for flowerbeds and hanging baskets.

The Marrakesh Rhodanthemum hosmariense is a small spring daisy belonging to the Asteraceae family. The typical species is native to the Atlas Mountains. It's actually an undershrub with a woody base tolerating drought well, but disappearing when the temperature drops below -10/-12 °C, in very well-drained soil. The 'Marrakesh' variety quickly forms a regular and dense cushion, 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) tall and 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) wide. It has slightly larger flowers than the typical species, about 3-4 cm (1-2in) in diameter, in shades of pink, with an orange center turning brown. The large flower buds that form in late winter are particularly decorative, surrounded by very dark scale-like bracts, they create a beautiful contrast with the grey-green foliage at that time of year. The fine and dissected foliage, fluffy, becoming more silver-grey as the heat sets in, persists all year round in mild climates.

The tenderly pink daisies of the 'Marrakesh' Rhodanthemum, grown in Mediterranean climates or in pots, appear very early in the season and continue blooming for a long period. With its decorative qualities and early blooming, it's an ideal perennial to use in combination with classic biennials such as pansies and primroses, in pastel tones. It's perfect in containers and flowerbeds for the spring decoration of terraces, balconies, and window sills. It can then be replanted in the garden, in a well-exposed rock garden, where it will find what it loves, a sunny location and very well-drained soil, even poor and rocky, protected from heavy frost.