Chrysanthemum carinatum Rainbow - Tricolour Daisy

Chrysanthemum carinatum 'Rainbow' is a selection of chrysanthemums with carinate heads, offering a beautiful palette of colours in various shades of purple, orange, scarlet, pink, mauve, salmon, yellow, and white. This hardy annual plant, which is easy to grow, starts flowering 12 weeks after sowing and continues until the end of summer if faded flowers are regularly removed. Ideal for filling gaps in borders and flowerbeds, they also look beautiful in pots and bouquets, and are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Chrysanthemum carinatum, now renamed Ismelia carinata, Ismelia versicolor, or Matricaria carinatum, is an annual plant often called the Tricolour Daisy due to the different colours present on its head-shaped inflorescences, which we call flowers. It belongs to the large family of Asteraceae and originates from the Atlantic coast of Morocco. It thrives in light, even sandy, and not too fertile soils, and has excellent tolerance to sea spray.

This 'Rainbow' chrysanthemum first forms a bushy clump about 40cm (15.7 in) tall and 30-40cm (11.8-15.7 in) wide. Its stems bear strongly dissected, slightly succulent, bluish-green leaves with a touch of glaucousness. Flowering occurs from July to October on sturdy stems about 60cm (23.6 in) tall. The head-shaped flower resembles a daisy. Its centre is composed of tiny tubular flowers that appear bluish-purple when closed. These flowers gradually open in a circular fashion, revealing their yellow stamens and then their red centre. The outer part of this daisy is made up of ligulate flowers, which means that a part of them has transformed into a long coloured petal. The base of this petal is yellow, and it can display a wide range of bright or even pastel colours, making it extremely varied. These different successions of colours add to the charm of this chrysanthemum, rightly called tricolour. It is a hardy plant that can be sown directly in place in April-May without any damage. In warm and mild climates, sowing in autumn is successful, and the plants bloom in spring, before the arrival of heat. The fruits are angular achenes with 3 faces, equipped with translucent membranous wings and topped with an egret.

The 'Rainbow' Chrysanthemums are not demanding when it comes to soil, as long as it is well-prepared, but they require sun to flower well. They integrate perfectly into a perennial plant bed, where they complement the range of colours. When sowed with cornflowers, Centaureas, poppies, or cosmos, they allow you to create a very colourful decoration in a brand new garden within a season. When sowed in pots, they provide a long-lasting solution for decorating the terrace and balcony. With excellent vase life, their flowers can be used to make beautiful countryside bouquets throughout the summer.

The ecological gesture: by sowing the 'Rainbow' Chrysanthemum in your garden, you attract pollinating insects that will enjoy its nectar and, by doing so, promote the ecosystem of your garden.