If you have a bare patch of sunny garden, now is the time to sow African daisy seed. Seed is sold under the names African Daisy, Cape Daisy, Namaqualand Daisy or Dimorphotheca Hybrids Mix. There are many varieties, including the traditional yellow and orange ones, a single white variety, and even varieties with pastel blooms.
For those gardeners who have bought seed, it is important to appreciate that African daisy seed has several little sticks among the oval cream seeds. It is so tempting to chuck these out because it looks like the seed companies have just been slack and left tiny, dirty-looking sticks in the seed before packaging.
“Never throw the ‘sticks’ out!” says seed expert Jac Duif.
A single daisy plant produces two types of seed, the well-known “flake” seed (a light, disc-shaped cream seed) and a dry or “stick” seed.
Usually, both types of seed are mixed in packets and each type will germinate and produce the same species. Occasionally, seedsmen will package flake and stick seeds separately. Stick seeds are good value and easy to sow. Flake seeds tend to blow away more easily.
African daisy seed can be sown directly into the garden from now until mid-May for a mass of blooms in late August. Start by choosing a sunny flower bed with well-drained soil. Prepare the soil by loosening it to a fork’s depth and taking care to remove all stones and weeds. Rake the bed level and water the bed thoroughly.
It’s important to water the ground before you sow to avoid disturbing the seed or washing it away. A wet bed also makes it easier for the light seed to stick to the surface of the soil.
Sprinkle the seeds evenly across the bed, making sure there are no bare patches. Paul Vonk says: “We strongly recommend that the bed should then be rolled with a piece of plastic piping. This eliminates air spaces between the soil and seed, which could be fatal to the tender emerging radicle.”
If it is not possible to roll the area, cover the seed with a light sprinkling of soil and rake the area. Namaqualand daisies grow quickly and a small seedling should be visible within two weeks. If there is no rain, water the seedlings once a week until they are established.
The plants can be thinned out to 20cm apart, although a denser planting has not shown any adverse effects as the stronger plants dominate and shade out competition. - Saturday Star