Osteospermum Dalina Special Sunshine Beauty - Cape Daisy

Osteospermum Dalina® 'Special Sunshine Beauty' is an excellent variety of Dimorphoteca selected for its large solar flowers, golden yellow bordered with orange and a light brown centre. This plant is part of a new generation of particularly floriferous hybrids. The cultivars of the Dalina® series should be pinched to promote branching. A tender perennial, the Cape daisy is usually grown as an annual in temperate climates. It is a cheerful flower, ideal for hanging baskets throughout the summer. By the sea, it is an excellent perennial for rockeries and dry slopes.

Mainly native to South Africa, Osteospermum are perennial or annual plants closely related to dimorphotecas. Like them, they belong to the large Asteraceae family. Most Osteospermums cultivated in gardens are hybrids of uncertain origin. They are generally very robust plants, useful for ornamenting dry soils. Their preferred region in South Africa corresponds to the Atlantic coast, which has a Mediterranean climate. The Dalina 'Special Sunshine Beauty' variety is a recent Danish selection with a compact habit, ideal for container gardening. Its flowering occurs from May-June to October, depending on the cultivation method and climate. The plant, reaching maturity in a few months, will reach a height of about 35cm and a width of 40-45cm, forming a beautiful, generously blooming cushion. Its flowers are quite large compared to the size of the plant. They are borne on branched stems emerging from green foliage that will persist in winter above freezing temperatures. They close up when the light is insufficient. Usually grown as an annual in temperate climates, the plant can regrow from the stump in spring if the winter is not too cold (maximum hardiness -7/-8°C), and the soil is well-drained.

Osteospermums have become indispensable, as they are very willing to flower on dry slopes in open ground or on terraces and balconies exposed to heat. They can be associated with catnips, shrubby salvias, verbenas, Lantanas, or immortelles in a dry garden. They will highlight borders and flower rockeries. In a mix of colors, they form remarkable ground covers. In flower pots, they can be paired with Bidens or Erigeron karvinskianus, for example.