Daisy display all winter

Press, 12 February 1982, Page 11

Daisy display all winter

There is a group of plants in the daisy family whose flowers have papery petals and which keep their colour and form long after their function in seed production has taken place. In the garden these plants provide display over a long period, especially when the summers are hot and dry. An added advantage is that cut and dried they can be used indefinitely in the house as cut flowers. Arrangements of dried flowers, foliage and seed pods may not be to everyone's taste, but they are preferable to plastic arrangements. The daisy family provides the largest number of everlasting flowers which come from many different countries. with those from Australia ranking as the most colourful. They are mostly, or at least treated as, annuals, and are raised from seed. The best situation to grow them is a position in full sun and which is well drained. Such plants will tolerate the poorest conditions and flourish to bloom profusely. Conversely, in good soil or one which has had fertiliser or organic matter added to it, growth will be more lush and blooms less but of larger size.

In warm gardens seed can be thinly sown in October where they are to flower, thinning subsequently to a spacing determined by the soil and species of plant.

In colder localities sow under glass in September, and plant out when the danger of frost has passed.

If intended for drying, cut when the flower is fully developed but before the seed has started to form. Tie

in small bundles and hang upside down in a light airy shed or glasshouse. When dry remove any leaf remnants, and if the full length of stem is to be retained strengthen by the insertion of a length of thin wire.

Helichrysum bracteatum is possibly one of the commonest and long-time favourites for drying. It also has the reputation of being one of the earliest Australian plants introduced into cultivation.

In a good soil this plant can reach a metre in height with . the upper portion branched and carrying terminal flowers. Left without attention these branches can produce flowers with rather short stems and it may be better to pinch the young plant once it has established to produce longer stems; some disbudding is also desirable.

Flowers up to 50mm in diameter with incurving petals, orange or bright yellow, were once the extent of the colours, but this has been extended by breeding even though seed is most often offered in mixed form.

Helipterum album, H. Roseum, H. Manglesii and H. hombdldtii can sometimes appear under the generic name of Acroclinum or Rhodanthe. These are much smaller growing than the previous plant, usually barely exceeding 30mm across and often only half as high. Their flowers, which are usually on unbranched stems, are invariably solitary, perhaps reaching 25mm across and with petals that range from white through shades of pink to red and crimson.