Daisies

Found more cuttings ready to plant on into bigger pots. I am beginning to run out of room. What a nice position to be in. I have a great head start for the Spring plant sale.

Olearia picridifolia (Rasp daisy-bush) is flowering in its pot. Usually it flowers from June to October in the wild. It is a plant about a metre tall, and mine has mauve- blue daisies on it. It is native to most parts of SA in mallee areas, on alkaline soils, as well as WA, NSW and Vic. It is rare to find any of the mallee Olearias in nurseries. They propagate fairly readily from cuttings, and seed is often successful, although not readily available. Members of the various Australian Plants Societies have access to some.

I noticed also that some of the perennial daisies are sprouting again. A number of these die back during the heat and dryness of summer, and sprout when the weather cools, or rain falls. I’ve been caught a couple of times throwing out the contents of a pot, only to spot at the last minute a touch of green, or strong juicy roots. It is often with a feeling of relief that I find that I still have that plant after all.