A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Flower ID

I am a novice with plants in this zone(7). I lived most of my life in 9 or 10. I am growing lots of petunias for the color and they are so easy. I planted a pot of petunias and now this has come up in the pot. I think it is really pretty and would like to have it around next year. zone seven is much broader for growing than our previous home zones have been. So the big question is "What is it?" Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Daisy?

For the life of me,
I can't remember how to spell it..
but it starts with an O

Something like Osperium daisy..

OMGosh, I got one right! I got one right! Woo Hoo!
LOL

It's driving me nutz, that I can't remember how to spell it...

*there's one in a post about going to Bill's house, but he has the yellow/orange type and Patty had the purple kind. *like the above kind*

Osteospermum

Osteospermum \'Cream Symphony\'

Thank~Youuuuuuuu Bill
I kept leaving the "teos" out of it,
and nothing would come up for me... :rolleyes:

Okay, "African Daisy"
Is the other name for them...

*drives me nutz~ie~coo~coo, when
I can't remember their names.. :p *

Here's a link that might help:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/108379/

Yup, Osteospermum (AKA African Daisy & Sunscape Daisy). I just love these plants!

Here's one of mine,


& here are some of Bills.


(Your photo is awesome, Gailo!) I'm so glad that you didn't weed it out when it came up among your Petunias... you're going to love it! I especially like mine because they're long-lasting in cut flower arangements, & the plants are hardy. (I've neglected to water them at times, but they seem to be somewhat draught tolerant & perked back up quickly!) I've never harvested seeds from mine, as I use them a lot in small arrangements before they get the chance to go to seed. (I found that they'll take hold fast & send roots down just by breaking off a stem & sticking it in the ground... so who needs seeds, anyway? This is faster!)

As Bill's link mentions, they do best in full sun. Most of mine are, but I have some that only get afternoon sun & they seem to be happy, too. I read somewhere that while the plant will thrive, it might not make flowers without direct sunlight.

This past winter was colder than normal, & we had freezing temps (upper 20's), where we usually don't get below the mid 30's. I hadn't winterized anything in my gardens, & was afraid that I'd lost my African Daisies. Then, this is what I found in late April... growing from the ends of a big mess of dead-looking stems!
I went through it all & clipped off the dried up dead stuff, then covered the leggy surviving stems with the loose soil in the garden bed, & they took right off... & even sent up new plants! (I sent one of the survivors to Illinois in early May, & it didn't seem to mind being closed up in in a baggie for 4 days!)

Even though I know now that they'll tolerate the abuses of winter, I plan to mulch them over this year. I think they'll be happier, & so will I!

Thank you all so much. I can't believe there are so many colors of Osteospermum. Bill, the white (Cream Symphony) is very lovely. Patty, thanks for your long letter. I think my niece lives in your area. She lives near Bend. I'll try to figure out how to keep these pretty flowers around. We get windchills of -30 here in a cold year. `

Rugby, WOW! Great pic of the purple ones... (I can't imagine my life without purple!) Heat tape? Stacks of fiberglass insulation? Maybe just a whole lot of heavy mulch... but I'd still use the box too, for good measure!)

I do get extreme at times... when I heard that pepper plants were actually perineal, I dug my Bell pepper up last fall & brought it in the house... then I put it out on the deck before the weather got warm enough, & it died off!

Anyway, I hope that you can find a way to help your Osteospermum make it through the winter!

About the "long letter"... Brevity is obviously not my strong point! (Good thing this place never runs out of writing paper!)

It (the plant) is in a pot. Last winter I brought in a 6' hibiscus (tropical) and kept it alive all winter. I put 2 full spectrum lights on it and it did pretty good. I had one of those mister things by it too. It flowered and everything in the house. So maybe I'll try bringing it in.