Am I Taking Good Care Of My African Daisies?

Did you planted your African daisies somewhere where they can get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight?

Did you planted your angelonia in well-drained soil rich in organic matter?

Do you water your African daisies regularly?

Do you fertilize your African daisies regularly?

Do you deadhead flowers when they fade?

Do you keep your African daisies free of pests and diseases?

African daisies like bright light. The blooms close up at night and don't open during cloudy or overcast weather. If you are planning on planting them and want to enjoy the blooms at night, you might want to consider another flower.

African daisies are tolerant of a wide variety of soils, but a soil rich in organic matter will reduce their watering and fertilizing needs. Plants need good drainage to prevent root rot, so if you have heavy clay consider growing African daisies in raised beds or containers.

Although drought tolerant once established, African daisies still need at least 1 inch of water per week to grow their best. During periods of drought or intense heat, the plants will slow down and go dormant. Keep the plants well-watered and they will resume blooming when the weather cools.

When grown as an annual, African daisies need some supplemental fertilizer every two to three weeks, especially when grown in a container. Apply an all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks according to package instructions. Since containers are watered more often, nutrients will leach out faster, requiring more frequent fertilizing.

Deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming, although this is not required for Symphony or Bright Lights series plants. Plants can be cut back by up to half during hot summer weather for a fuller rebloom in late summer and fall. Where they are perennial, plants can be lightly sheared after the last flush of blooms.

Good job! You are taking good care of your African daisies.

When planted in optimal conditions and properly maintained, there aren't many problems for African daisies. Pests include thrips, whitefly, fungus gnats, and aphids. Diseases include verticillium wilt, powdery mildew, botrytis, phytophthora, gray mold, root or stem rot, all of which can be caused by excess watering, high humidity, or poor air circulation.