I just bought this plant at Lowes. It is really a pretty daisy, with the dark purple center when you first look at it. The white is a pur...Read Moree white, in my opinion. I fell in love with it, the very first time I set eyes on it. I hadn't seen a daisy like this before.
As you can see, this plant grows well in my zone 8 garden. I planted mine in one end of a long narrow rose garden and already have seeds to grow more, next year.
I also accidentally broke the dirt up it was planted in, from the nursery. It didn't bother the plant, thank goodness. I bet I could have divided it into two plants, like you can with hostas, etc. I will try that on my other ones, I'll plant from seeds, next spring.
I did some research, elsewhere on the Internet and found the 'Missouri Botanical Garden' site. Here is their information:
Common Name: weather prophet
Type: Annual
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 2 to 11
Native Range: South Africa, Namibia
Height: 0.75 to 1.5 feet
Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal bloomer
Bloom Color: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Tolerates: Drought
Uses: Suitable as Annual
Culture:
Grow in sandy, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates drought and hot summers, but dislikes the high humidity of the St. Louis area. Avoid overhead watering to help prevent onset of fungal leaf diseases. Seed may be sown directly in the garden after last frost date or started indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date for earlier bloom. Also may be grown in pots/containers.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
Rain daisy or weather prophet is one of several different tropical composites commonly called African daisy (see also Osteospermum and Arctotis). It is a tender annual that grows 8-12” (less frequently to 16”) tall, and features daisy-like flowers with white rays (tinged purple beneath) and yellowish-brown center disks. Flowers bloom freely from summer to fall in cool summer climates, but may slow down considerably in the hot and humid St. Louis area summers. Flowers close at night and on cloudy days or before rain (hence the common names). Narrow obovate to oblanceolate, dentate green leaves (to 3.5” long). Synonymous with D. annua and sometimes included in the genus Osteospermum.
Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for leaf hoppers and powdery mildew.
Garden Uses: Mass in beds, rock gardens or borders. Containers.
More Information, from "The Flower Experts":
The African Moon plant is often grown in parks and gardens as an ornamental since the bright white daisy flowers form a dazzling mass during the spring.
Dimorphotheca pluvialis, the African Moon are the white daisy flowers, native of Namibia. African Moon flowers are also commonly called as Oxeye daisy, Rain Daisy, Cape Daisy, Witbotterblom. African Moon is cultivated as field crop for oil seed production particularly in Northern Europe.
Other sites, tell you if you let the flowers stay on the plant, after blooming, then it will reseed itself. If you don't want that, then pinch off the dried flower heads and clean the seeds and sow them after last frost, in the spring.
Hope this additional information is useful for you. :-)
This plant has small flowers that are white w/ purplish/brown centers. It blooms late winter/early spring. Grows 8" to 12" tall with same...Read More spread. Best cultivated in sun with well draining soil. Flowers only open in sun, deadheading helps produce more flowers. Salt tolerant. Propagate from seed in spring.
I just bought this plant at Lowes. It is really a pretty daisy, with the dark purple center when you first look at it. The white is a pur...Read More
This plant has small flowers that are white w/ purplish/brown centers. It blooms late winter/early spring. Grows 8" to 12" tall with same...Read More