Cape Daisy Lazy Daisy Scarlet Shades

Cape Daisy 'Lazy Daisy Scarlet Shades' (Osteospermum 'Lazy Daisy Scarlet Shades') is a low spreading perennial daisy in warm scarlet and orange tones. It holds about 30cm high and spreads to 60cm, so a run of them fills the front of a bed rather than standing above it. Planted 40cm apart it forms a solid carpet of colour, flowering hardest through the cooler half of the year.

Why you'll love it

• Warm colour in the cool season. The scarlet to orange daisies come in flushes from autumn through spring, filling the gap left by summer perennials.
• It spreads instead of standing up. At 30cm high and 60cm wide it covers ground, which suits the front edge of a bed better than an upright plant.
• Tough where it counts. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and salt tolerant once established, so it holds up in a hot front garden or a coastal block.
• Bees and butterflies find it. Open faced daisies are easy for pollinators to work, and this one flowers over a long window.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart along a path or bed edge, roughly six plants to the square metre. The spread softens a hard line without spilling far enough to need constant trimming.

Mass planting and groundcover. Across a slope or wide bed the same 40cm spacing knits into continuous colour in one season. Set it in front of taller shrubs rather than in deep shade.

Pots and coastal gardens. It trails gently over the rim of a 300mm pot, and it takes salt laden wind well enough for a seaside courtyard.

Growing Cape Daisy in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, without exception. The flowers close in dull weather and stay shut in shade, so a shaded position gives foliage and little else. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and takes light frost only, so hard frosting districts should treat it as seasonal.

Soil. Free draining soil matters more than richness. It will rot in heavy wet ground, so improve clay with compost and coarse sand, or plant on a slight mound.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first month, then only when the top few centimetres dry out. A light liquid feed every six weeks through the flowering season keeps the flushes coming.

Trimming. This is the one job that matters. Shear the plant back by about a third after each flush. Skip it and the centre opens up and goes woody by the second year.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock and in 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are young rooted plants, the economical way to cover a large bed. The pack of ten covers roughly 1.6 square metres at 40cm spacing, in established plants that flower in their first season.

Perennials of this size travel well, though some leaf droop for a few days after unpacking is normal. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Low growing plants for garden borders
• Browse the flowering plant range
• See plants that bring in bees and butterflies
• Pair it with Cape Daisy Blue Eyed Beauty

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

About six at the recommended 40cm spacing. That closes into continuous cover within a season without crowding the crowns.

Why have the flowers closed up?

Cape daisies close on overcast days and at night, and open again in sun. It is normal behaviour rather than a problem, but it does mean a shaded spot will never look right.

How long does it live?

Treated as a perennial it gives several good years, provided you shear after each flush. Without that trim it goes woody and is best replaced after two seasons.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. An occasional cold morning is fine, but repeated hard frost cuts it back, so in cold districts grow it in pots you can move under cover.