Marguerite
Argyranthemum frutescens
Also known as: Canary Island marguerite, Paris daisy
Bushy plant from the Canary Islands with white flowers and yellow centres. In full sun and with its spent flowers removed, it flowers for a long time.
- Type
- Shrub
- Where
- Outdoor
- Light
- Sun
- Water
- Moderate water
- Cold
- Doesn't withstand frost
Where to plant it
In full sun, in soil that drains well and is moderately fertile. It doesn’t mind whether the soil is acidic or chalky, and it copes well with sea winds.
Watering
Water during long spells without rain, without waterlogging. A layer of mulch around the base helps keep the soil moist.
Pruning
Remove spent flowers regularly to make flowering last longer, and pinch out the tips of the stems to keep it compact.
Care
It’s easy to propagate: take cuttings from tender shoots in spring, or from stems that haven’t flowered at other times of year.
In our climate
It’s a plant from the Canary Islands, where it grows wild, and today it’s grown in gardens all over the world. It copes with mild cold, but not with the plant freezing. In winter, mulch protects its base from frost. Leaf miners attack mainly from early summer to autumn.
Common problems
Leaf miner
Chromatomyia syngenesiae
How to spot it
Winding white or brown lines on the upper side of the leaves, which are the larvae's tunnels. As its leaves are small, the larva can hollow out the whole leaf, which loses its colour and dries up.
What to do
Although it looks unsightly, the plant usually keeps growing and flowering, so it can often be tolerated. If only a few leaves are affected, remove them or squash the larva at the end of the tunnel. If the infestation is heavy, ask us.