Cut Leaf Daisy Pink

Cut Leaf Daisy Pink (Brachyscome multifida 'Pink') is the native groundcover to reach for when you want colour at ankle height and very little upkeep. It holds a soft mound about 30cm tall and 60cm across, built from fine ferny foliage that all but disappears under pink daisy flowers through the warm months. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant and quick to spread, so a tray of tubes covers a bare bed inside a season.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for months, not weeks. Pink daisies open from spring and keep coming through summer into autumn wherever the season stays mild.
• It closes gaps quickly. Each plant spreads to about 60cm, so at 0.4m spacing the bare soil between plants disappears in the first growing season.
• Genuinely tough for its size. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant once established, an unusual combination in a plant this delicate looking.
• Real food for pollinators. An eastern Australian native with open, shallow flowers that bees and butterflies can actually use.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 0.4m apart for full cover, roughly six plants to the square metre. On a slope that spacing knits into a continuous carpet without crowding the crowns.

Borders and edging. At 30cm it softens the front of a bed or a path edge, and never grows tall enough to need cutting back off the paving.

Rockeries and pots. Sharp drainage is what it likes best, so it is at home tucked between rocks or spilling over the rim of a container.

Growing Cut Leaf Daisy in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and the tightest mound. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and because it is frost hardy it comes through cold southern winters without protection. Humid tropical summers are the one setting it dislikes, where the fine foliage stays wet.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility, and sandy or gravelly ground suits it well. On heavy clay, raise the bed and work compost and coarse sand through before planting.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. One light application of native fertiliser in early spring is plenty, because rich feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by about a third once the main flush finishes. That single trim keeps the centre dense and usually brings on a second wave of flower.

What to expect when it arrives

This daisy is sold as tube stock, which is the sensible way to buy a plant you need in quantity. Each tube is a small, well rooted seedling a few centimetres across rather than a flowering specimen, so it looks modest for the first month while the roots move out into the soil. Expect plants to touch their neighbours by the end of the first growing season.

Tubes travel well, since there is little top growth to damage. 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

• Browse the full groundcover range
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Bee and butterfly friendly plants
• Plants that suit a rockery

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

At the recommended 0.4m spacing, about six plants cover a square metre. Wider spacing still works, it simply takes another season for the gaps to close.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate gardens, including districts that frost regularly through winter. Growth pauses in the cold and picks up again in spring.

Can I grow it in a pot?

It suits containers and hanging baskets well, provided the mix drains freely. Use a premium potting mix, water once the top few centimetres dry out, and shear it back after flowering.