Common name
Golden daisy bush, euryops daisy.
Botanical name: Euryops
The botanical name for the golden daisy bush is euryops, which is an amalgamation of two words from ancient Greek, namely eurys meaning wide and opsis meaning face.
So, the plant with a wide, but this is something of an exaggeration because the flowers, though of good size, cannot really be described as wide. In any case, it’s just a name and perfectly serviceable in this case.
Family: daisy
Euryops is a member of the daisy family, the Asteraceae, which has a ring of petals around the outside of the flower. The daisy shape is successful because the outer petals are very good for attracting pollinating insects.
The daisy shape has evolved in quite a few species but are not directly related. There are couple of dozen species in its native South Africa, but only two that are more widely grown. The species Euryops pectinatus, the species name derives from the Greek for a comb while the name Euryops virgineus, the second means maidenly.
Garden value
The flowers are very pretty and lively, and the contrast with the ferny grey-green or green foliage is attractive. The foliage is evergreen, which means that the plant has presence even if there are no flowers.
In mild gardens, it is hard to tell whether these are late flowers of this year’s vintage or early flowers of next year’s. The fact is that this plant flowers after a good spell, and the recent chill winds and frosty night offers a chance to survive in gardens inland.
Brighten the last days of autumn and the early days of spring, with the golden daisy bush from South Africa. This is a fast-growing, soft bushy plant with ferny leaves that covers itself with yellow daisies. In a warm climate, it flowers more or less all year round and even in this country, in mild gardens, there is rarely a time when there are no flowers on it.
It can tolerate light frost, down to about minus 5 Celsius. Sustained cold weather causes it to die back, sometimes just on the top of the bush, sometimes right to the roots. In cold areas, it can be grown in pots and could be planted out in early summer after frost has gone in the same way as geraniums. Cuttings can be taken with great ease in summer to have young easily managed plants to carry over winter.
Growing golden daisy
It is also excellent for use as a greenhouse or conservatory plant and it would be fine in a glass porch. It will flower in winter with the extra protection, especially with the warmth that is usually available in a conservatory or sunroom.
It tends to get pot-bound after a couple of years, usually grows too big anyway, and it should be raised from cuttings to have new plants.
Euryops is very easy to grow, but must not be overfed which makes it too vigorous. It is not as widely available as it should be but it is by no means rare or difficult to find either.
It is more available in garden centres in spring and summer with lots of bright daisies on show but it can make a valuable contribution at this time of year too.
Rosemary
Rosemary likes full sunshine. It tends to be straggly and die off if shaded, or the soil is consistently too wet. Although it might seem a little tricky to grow, this is not the case. It is actually very easy to grow as long as it has a dry root run in soil that is open and not too rich and in a sunny spot. After a couple of years planted, rosemary flowers very well, carrying masses of light blue flowers which are very pretty. The colour associates well with the grey-green of the foliage. It starts in winter, peaking in spring.
Rosemary looks well on a bank or raised bed, where its lower branches can trail over the edge. The prostrate form is particularly suited to this.
Rosemary looks great beside large rocks in the garden, or large masses of concrete such as blank walls. It works especially well when combined with plants that have sword-shaped leaves such as phormium or grassy leaves such as stipa. Prune it after flowering to keep it to suitable size or to change its shape. It often produces flowers late in the year and occasionally even in winter, if the bush is located in a sheltered sunny spot.
Lawns
The leaves came down recently after a few cold wet nights. Leaves should be removed by raking off if they are wet ad sticky, or lifted with the lawn mower if dry. Use mosskiller if necessary.
Flowers and containers
Spring bedding is available in the garden outlets. Pansies, ornamental cabbages and hardy cyclamen are ideal for containers. Wallflowers and tulips can be planted in the open ground as the summer bedding is now dead. Perennial flowers can be lifted and divided.
Trees, shrubs and roses
Hedges are much less expensive to establish using small, bare-root plants. But make sure that weed control is excellent. The planting of deciduous trees and shrubs can continue in good conditions but evergreens, except those in pots, should be left until late spring.
Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Tidy the vegetable garden and begin digging, burying weeds and leaving the soil surface rough. Weedy areas can also be covered with old carpet or black plastic to kill them over winter. Fruit trees and bushes can be pruned, except for plum and cherry trees.
Greenhouse and house plants
Reduce watering to a minimum and stop all feeding except for the winter flowering plants. Ventilate a little and clear out old dead plants. Move house plants to the best bright spots and not behind curtains, unless double-glazed. Check they are not standing in water.