Argyranthemum Frutescens Marguerite Summer Flower
MARGUERITE
This marguerite will adorn summer patios, but it does not tolerate frost. The species grows naturally in the Canary Islands where it is warm, but never burning hot, and where there is always a cool sea breeze. This should be remembered when caring for these plants. Marguerites like warmth, but not heat, and under glass they often suffer from hot sunlight. You should therefore definitely put them out-of-doors after the last night frost and make sure that the potting compost does not dry out. They flower with such over-1 whelming exuberance that the plants may I easily exhaust their reserves. Re-pot them in nutritive soil immediately after purchase and give them liquid fertilizer several times during the summer.
In autumn, the plants will begin to wither even before the first frosts and they will also start suffering from mildew. It is time to throw them out. In theory, enthusiasts may take cuttings in late summer and overwinter them in a light position at a minimum of 41 degrees F but, in practice, nearly everyone grows marguerites as annual container and bedding plants.
Cut-flower firms often treat marguerites with growth inhibitors to achieve the required compact growth. Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Dana’ is naturally compact, with its flowers rising less far above its bluish-green foliage. The entire plant is scarcely more than 12 in high and is supplied in a small-sized pot, though the foliage is relatively spreading.
With its baby-pink flowers, Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Flamingo,’ is one of the most rewarding of all marguerites. It may grow to a maximum height of 20 in. In a border, its color goes well with sulphur yellow. Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Sweety,’ a marguerite growing to about 28 in tall, is protected under plant breeders’ rights and may be propagated only if the licence-holder is recompensed for investing time and money in producing the cultivar and is gradually reimbursed for it. ‘Sweety’ has striking green foliage and soft pink flowers with a white ring round their yellow centers.
