Common Name: blue daisy
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Native Range: South Africa
Zone: 10 to 11
Height: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: Sky blue rays with yellow centers
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Butterflies
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 10-11 where it may be grown as a perennial. North of Zone 10, it is typically grown as an annual. Plants perform well in average, consistently moist but well-drained soils in full sun. Avoid wet soils. Plants dislike the hot and humid summers of the deep South. In St. Louis, purchase plants in cell packs from local nurseries in spring. Plants may also be grown from seed started indoors about 6-8 weeks prior to last spring frost date so plants will produce good bloom in advance of the onset of hot summer weather. In cool summer climates, seed may be sown outdoors in the ground around the last spring frost date. Cuttings may be taken in late summer for overwintering.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Felicia amelloides, commonly called blue daisy or blue marguerite, is native to South Africa. It is a bushy, aster-like, woody-based subshrub that typically grows to 2’ tall. It is primarily grown for its long and showy bloom of daisy-like flowers (to 1.5” diameter) featuring sky blue rays and yellow centers. In cool northern summers, flowers bloom throughout summer into fall (sometimes to frost). In hot southern summers, flowering usually declines or stops by mid-summer as consistent high temperatures become the norm. Rough-hairy, ovate green leaves (to 1” long) resemble leaves in the genus Amellus (also native to South Africa), hence the specific epithet. Felicia amelloides is synonymous with and formerly known as Felicia aethiopica, Aster amelloides, Aster capensis and Aster coelestis.
Genus name honors Felix, a German official at Regensburg, who died in 1846.
Specific epithet means resemble the genus Amellus.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Aphids and spider mites can be troublesome. Root may occur, particularly in wet soils. Watch for botrytis.
Uses
Beds, borders or rock gardens. Containers.