Profusion Seaside Daisy

Profusion Seaside Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion') is a low, spreading perennial that forms a soft mound 20 to 30cm high and 60cm to 1m wide, covered in small daisies that open white and age to pink. It is a free-flowering seed strain of the seaside daisy, and in mild areas it is in flower for most of the year.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers almost all year. Masses of small daisies open white and fade through pale pink to deeper pink, so one plant carries both colours at once.
• Tough and drought tolerant. Once established it gets by on very little water and shrugs off heat, wind and poor soil.
• Softens hard edges. It spills over walls, steps and the rims of pots, and settles happily into cracks and gaps in paving.
• Sun or part shade. It flowers hardest in full sun and still performs well with a few hours of shade.
• Quick to fill in. Young plants spread fast, so a new bed or wall looks finished within a season or two.

Where it works best

Walls and steps. Plant along the top of a retaining wall or beside steps and let it trail down the face. Space plants 50 to 60cm apart for a continuous spill.

Groundcover and edging. Use it as a low edge to paths and garden beds or as a flowering groundcover between shrubs and roses, again at 50 to 60cm apart.

Pots and bowls. It makes a long-lasting filler and spiller in containers, on its own or under a taller feature plant.

Coastal gardens. It handles salt-laden wind and sandy soil, which makes it useful in seaside plantings.

Growing Profusion Seaside Daisy in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade. It grows well in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and tolerates frost, though the foliage can look tired after a hard winter and comes back with a trim.

Soil. Any well-drained soil suits it, including sandy and stony ground. It does not need rich soil, and it dislikes sitting wet for long periods.

Water and feed. Water regularly for the first couple of months, then only in long dry spells. A light feed with a general-purpose fertiliser in spring is plenty.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by about half after each main flush of flowers, and at least once a year in late winter. This keeps the mound dense and removes the spent flowers before they set seed. Seaside daisy self-seeds freely and has become an environmental weed in some bushland areas, so trim after flowering and do not plant it next to bushland.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Profusion Seaside Daisy in 140mm pots in packs of 10, which is enough to edge about 5 to 6 metres of path or wall. The plants travel well. Water them on arrival, plant out within a few days and keep them moist until you see new growth. Our growers do not hold every size all year, so a size can show as on backorder at times. An order for a backorder size is confirmed with you before anything ships.

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

• Seaside daisy gardening: everything to know
• Browse more groundcover plants
• Plants for retaining walls
• The best trailing plants for a retaining wall

Common questions

Does seaside daisy spread?

Yes. Each plant widens to as much as a metre, and it also comes up from seed in nearby gaps and gravel. Trimming after flowering removes most of the seed, and unwanted seedlings pull out easily.

When should I cut it back?

Shear it by about half whenever it looks straggly or after a big flush of flowers. It reshoots quickly and is back in flower within a few weeks in the warm months.

Will it grow in shade?

It grows well in part shade with fewer flowers. In deep shade it becomes thin and leggy, so give it at least a few hours of direct sun.