Cape Daisy ‘Serenity White’

Cape Daisy 'Serenity White' (Osteospermum 'Serenity White') is the quickest way to get a sheet of clean white daisies over a bare bed. It stays low, around 30cm tall and spreading to about 50cm, and the flowering runs hardest through spring and again through autumn. Planted 40cm apart it knits into a continuous groundcover inside a single season.

Why you'll love it

• White flowers over a long season. The heaviest flushes are spring and autumn, with scattered flowers between them in mild gardens.
• Fast cover. It is a genuinely fast grower, so a bed planted 40cm apart closes over in a season rather than waiting years.
• Heat, drought and salt tolerant. Hot dry beds, west facing walls and coastal front gardens all suit it.
• Bees and butterflies. Open daisy flowers are easy for pollinators to work, and a mass planting is busy through both flushes.
• Low and neat in a pot. The habit spills gently over the rim of a container.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart in a single row along a path or driveway for a low white edge.

Mass planting and groundcover. The same 40cm spacing across a bed gives complete cover: ten plants fill about one and a half square metres.

Pots and coastal gardens. Good in a 300mm or larger container with free draining mix, and tough enough for a seaside front garden where salt spray reaches.

Growing Cape Daisy 'Serenity White' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum. The flowers close in shade, at night and in dull weather, so a shady bed looks bare much of the day. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, takes light frost only, and does not persist in the humid tropics.

Soil. Free draining sandy loam is ideal. Rich, heavy or damp soil causes crown rot, the main way people lose this plant. On clay, raise the bed and add coarse material.

Water and feed. Water weekly while establishing, then let the soil dry between drinks. A liquid fertiliser once a month through spring and autumn keeps the flushes coming, while too much nitrogen gives you leaf instead of flower.

Pruning. Trim the whole plant back by about a third as each flush finishes. That single habit keeps it compact and reflowering. Be honest about its lifespan: it goes woody after two or three years, at which point cut it back hard in early spring or replace it.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tubestock, sold as single plants: a young rooted plant in a narrow pot, small in the hand but quick to establish, which is what you want when a groundcover is planted in numbers. Expect full size and flowers within the first season.

Tubes travel well because the root ball is compact. Plant within a few days of arrival, water in, then hold off feeding for two to three weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read low growing plant ideas for borders.
• Browse the wider groundcover range for the rest of the bed.
• See more plants that attract bees and butterflies.
• For contrast, plant it with Cape Daisy Pink.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Forty centimetres apart, centre to centre. Each plant spreads to roughly 50cm, so the canopies meet without crowding.

Why are the flowers closed?

Cape daisies close their petals in low light, so they shut at night, on overcast days and in shade. It is normal behaviour, and six hours of direct sun keeps them open through the day.

Will it come back every year?

It is a perennial rather than an annual, but a short lived one. Expect two to three good years, then cut it back hard in early spring or replant.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. A cold morning will not kill an established plant, but repeated hard frosts damage the foliage and flowering stops.