Felicia Forever Blue - Blue Agathea

Felicia 'Forever Blue', also known as Blue Agathea or Cape Aster, will delight lovers of blue flowers, as well as those who appreciate simple and vibrant plants. This perennial subshrub blooms from late spring to autumn, raising at the end of elegant stems flowers resembling small daisies, but of an extraordinary topaz blue that would make their golden yellow heart pale. Its growth is rapid, so that the plant forms in a single season a pretty bush with a compact and spreading habit. Floriferous and not very demanding on the nature of the soil, this unfortunately not very hardy perennial is ideal in seaside gardens or as a terrace or veranda plant, installed in full sun, in a well-drained soil, even dry.

Felicia 'Forever Blue' belongs to the Asteraceae family. The Felicia amelloïdes from which it descends, is native to South Africa and only tolerates light frosts. The 'Forever Blue' variety forms a small, compact, and highly branched bush, slightly wider than tall. The plant, almost adult in one year, will reach a height of 40cm (15. in) and a width of 60cm (23.6in). This rapid growth allows gardeners in colder regions to grow the Cape daisy as an annual. Its stems, rough and dark red, bear ovate to rounded evergreen leaves of a rather light green. The flowering takes place from June to October, in the form of small heads resembling daisies, 2.5cm (1in) wide, carried by long naked stems measuring up to 15cm (5.9in). The outer ligules are of an extremely bright medium blue, perfectly highlighted by the small golden yellow centre.

A large clump of Felicia 'Forever Blue', when it reigns in a border or as a standalone plant, is a captivating sight. Unconditional lovers of the sun, Felicia daisies fear above all frost combined with excess moisture in winter. Plant them in ordinary, well-drained soil. Forming spectacular rounded clumps in a very short time, the Cape daisy looks superb alongside yellow-flowered plants such as Achillea 'Golden Plate', Anthemis tinctoria, or Coreopsis. It can be very useful for starting a brand new garden, after the passage of construction equipment. It can be planted in sunny rockeries together with simple flowers like snapdragons, wallflowers, baptisias, or common sage, in borders or on the terrace in a large pot that can be stored away in winter. Its flowering pairs well with grey-foliaged plants like Artemisias, as well as with old-fashioned roses.

Note: Please be aware that our young plants in mini plugs are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them in sheltered areas (veranda, greenhouse, frame...) at a temperature above 14C° for a few weeks before being installed outdoors once the risk of frost has been definitively avoided.