Cut Leaf Daisy Mauve Bliss

Cut Leaf Daisy 'Mauve Bliss' (Brachyscome multifida 'Mauve Bliss') is an Australian native groundcover that flowers for most of the year. It forms a low cushion about 30cm high and 60cm across of fine ferny foliage, then smothers itself in small mauve purple daisies from spring through to autumn. Few natives give this much colour for so little water.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers nearly all year. The heavy flush runs spring to autumn, and in mild gardens it keeps ticking over with scattered blooms between times.
• Native and full of bees. Indigenous to south eastern Australia, and the open daisy flowers are an easy landing pad for bees and butterflies.
• Fast to cover. A tube plant spreads to 60cm in its first year, which closes a bed quickly and keeps weeds from getting a start.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant, so it holds through a cold snap and a dry summer alike.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for a dense flowering groundcover, about six plants a square metre. At that spacing the cushions merge into a continuous sheet of mauve in one season.

Borders and edging. The 30cm height suits the front of a bed or a path edge, where it spills gently over the hard line without needing constant cutting back.

Rockeries and pots. It drapes over rock and pot rims, and the fine foliage contrasts well with strappy natives such as lomandra and dianella.

Growing cut leaf daisy in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, part shade accepted with fewer blooms. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy enough for southern and inland winters.

Soil. Free draining soil is the one real requirement. It will not tolerate heavy wet clay, so raise the bed and work coarse sand or gravel through it. Poor sandy ground is no trouble at all.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since standard fertiliser at full rate can damage the roots.

Pruning. Shear lightly after the main flush, taking about a third off, to keep the cushion dense and bring the next round of flowers on. Plants left unshorn open up in the middle after two or three years.

What to expect when it arrives

Mauve Bliss is sold as tube stock and in 140mm pots by the pack of ten. Tubes are the economical way to cover an area and catch up quickly given water, while the 140mm plants are usually already in flower and give a finished bed in the first season.

It may arrive with a few flowers knocked off in transit, which means nothing, and fresh buds follow within a fortnight in warm weather. 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

• Browse the Australian native range
• Groundcover plants for Australian gardens
• Plants that attract bees and butterflies
• Low growing plant ideas for borders

Common questions

How many plants per square metre?

About six at 40cm spacing. Planting tighter wastes stock, because each cushion spreads to 60cm and crowded plants shade one another out from the centre.

How long does it flower?

The heavy flush runs from spring through summer and into autumn, and in mild frost free gardens scattered flowers carry on through winter. A light shear after the main flush brings the next round on faster.

Why has the middle gone bare?

Unshorn plants open out in the centre after two or three years. Cutting back by a third each year prevents it, and an old plant can be cut harder in early spring to reshoot.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate and inland gardens, though flowering pauses through the coldest weeks and picks up again in spring.