Erigeron karvinskianus
Spanish daisy
Common names: Mexican fleabane, Karvinski's fleabane, Santa Barbara daisy
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 3 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- May–Oct
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −12 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: André Karwath aka Aka · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Erigeron karvinskianus, despite its name, comes from Central and South America and grows in Europe on walls and stairs, as if it had always been there. The delicate flowers measure only about 2 cm across. The buds are pink, the open flowers white with a yellow centre, and they turn pink again as they fade. From May to October they appear in great numbers. The thin, branched stems grow 15 to 30 cm tall and hang slightly over the edges, forming loose cushions over time that can reach 50 cm and wider. In joints of dry stone walls, on stairs, in rock gardens, in tubs and hanging baskets, it creates a light and airy effect. It readily self-seeds. In mild regions it easily becomes naturalised in walls and paving cracks, while in cold locations it often dies back from frost.
Care instructions
Plant Erigeron karvinskianus in mid-May after the Ice Saints, about 25 cm apart, in a sunny, warm spot with permeable, rather lean soil, such as at a dry stone wall, in a stair joint or in a tub. It also grows in partial shade but flowers less there. It needs little water: in the bed, water only during long dry spells; in a container, water regularly but avoid waterlogging. Cut the plant back by about a hand's width in March or April to keep it compact. If it pauses flowering in midsummer, shorten it by a third, and it will bloom again into autumn. If you do not want it to seed everywhere, remove the flowers after they fade. This is especially important near dry stone walls with rare wild plants and natural rock outcrops.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
FloweringMay–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 12 °C, ideally 20 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, lean, dry
Mexican fleabane grows best in well-drained, rather lean soil. Sand, gravel and gaps between stones are exactly its thing, and it colonises wall joints and paving cracks by itself. Whether the soil is slightly acidic, neutral or chalky hardly matters. In rich, heavy soil it becomes lanky and soft and sits too wet in winter. On heavy soil, therefore, mix in plenty of sand or grit, or plant it in a dry-stone wall.
Feeding
Light feeder
In a bed or a wall joint, Mexican fleabane needs no fertiliser; on lean soil it stays compact and flowers most profusely. In a container or hanging basket, give a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants about every four weeks during the growing season. A thin layer of compost in spring is enough on very poor soil.
Overwintering
Mexican fleabane is only moderately hardy and tolerates about minus 12 degrees if it stands dry. Wet harms it more than frost. It overwinters best in wall joints and sunny, well-drained spots; in cold regions, cover the plant with brushwood or leaves in November. If it freezes, it often self-seeds again. In a container, put it in a bright, frost-free place at 5 to 10 °C in November and water only sparingly.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Division
Sowing is easy: in March and April, sow the tiny seeds thinly in trays of seed compost and just press them in, because they germinate in light. At room temperature the seedlings appear after a few weeks, and after the Ice Saints in mid-May you plant them outdoors. You can also sow directly in place from May. Cuttings from shoot tips root easily in summer and overwinter in a bright, frost-free spot. Divide older plants in spring. The species also self-seeds, even into cracks and joints.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Spanish daisy yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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