Cape Daisy White

Cape Daisy White (Osteospermum 'White') is a fast spreading daisy groundcover that covers about 60cm of ground and stands only 40cm tall. Clean white petals around a dark centre open from early spring into autumn, over grey green foliage. It flowers hardest in the conditions that defeat most perennials: full sun, lean soil and very little water.

Why you'll love it

• A very long flowering season. In warm gardens it carries daisies from early spring through to late autumn, with a scattering in mild winters.
• It covers ground fast. Spreading to 60cm and growing quickly, a planting closes over in a single season instead of three.
• Built for heat and salt. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and salt tolerant, so hot rockeries, coastal front gardens and dry verges all suit it.
• Bees and butterflies work it. Open daisy flowers are the easiest shape for pollinators to feed from, and there is a long season of them.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for dense cover. At that spacing plants knit within a season, hold soil on a slope and leave little room for weeds.

Borders and edging. At 40cm tall it softens a path edge or the front of a bed without hiding anything planted behind it.

Rockeries, pots and walls. The sharp drainage of a rockery is exactly what it wants, and it spills neatly over the lip of a pot or a low retaining wall.

Growing cape daisy in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours as a minimum, because the flowers stay shut in shade. Subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens all work. It takes light frost only, so cold inland and southern districts want a sheltered north facing bed.

Soil. Free draining and lean. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal. Heavy clay is the one soil to avoid, since wet feet through winter kill it faster than any drought will.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first month, then fortnightly, then rarely. A light dressing of slow release fertiliser in early spring is plenty, and generous feeding buys you foliage instead of flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole planting back by about a third after the main spring flush, and again in late summer. Skip it and the centres go woody and bare within two years.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tubestock or as 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tubes are small rooted cuttings and the sensible buy for a large area, because this daisy grows quickly enough to close ground from a standing start. The 140mm plants are fuller, often already in bud, and give a result the same season.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect roots to take hold within three weeks in warm weather and flowering to follow soon after. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the groundcover range
• Low growing plants for garden borders
• Plants that suit a rockery
• Drought tolerant plants for dry gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Forty centimetres apart for a groundcover or mass planting. That is close enough to close the gaps in one season and open enough for air to move through the crowns.

Why do the flowers close up?

Cape daisies shut at night and on heavily overcast days, then reopen with the sun. It is normal behaviour for the species rather than a sign of stress, though a plant in shade may barely open at all.

How do I stop it going woody in the middle?

Shear it twice a year, after the spring flush and again in late summer, taking about a third off. Regular shearing is the single thing that keeps a cape daisy planting looking full.

How long will it last?

Three to five years is typical for this kind of daisy. Cuttings strike easily in spring, so most gardeners replace tired sections from their own plants rather than buying again.