Dimorphothecia, a perennial daisy with many flowers
July 7, 2022 24 Comments
Dimorphothecia is a beautiful perennial flowering plant with abundant flowering that accompanies us in spring, summer and autumn.
It belongs to the ornamental plants that form flowers that look like daisies, as well as gerbera, chrysanthemum, gerbera, aster, cosmos, coreopsis, gazania and chamomile.
Native to South Africa, the dimorphotheca is also known as the African daisy.
Dimorphothecia has a low creeping growth and its thin and long shoots reach a height of 25-40 cm.
It forms large daisy-shaped flowers that reach a diameter of 5-6 cm and are of various colors usually white, pink and purple. Some new varieties of dimorphotheca have yellow, red and orange flower colors, and there are also varieties with bicolor flowers.
If we are looking for plants for ground cover in flower beds, the bimorph is an excellent choice, as it is also planted around the base of large trees for decoration.
Thanks to its creeping growth, we find the dimorphothica in yards and balconies in wonderful hanging pots and baskets.
So, let’s look at useful tips for planting and caring for dimorphotheca, so that we can enjoy beautiful and healthy plants with abundant flowering in our garden, yard and balcony.
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1. What types and varieties of dimorphotheca are there?
There are many varieties of dimorphothecia with different flower colors that can be distinguished mainly in upright and creeping varieties.
- Orthopedic dimorphotheca varieties : We choose the upright dimorphotheca to give a more compact form to the flowers in pots and planters that we have in our garden and balcony.
- Creeping Varieties of Dimorphothecia : Plant creeping dimorphothecia for ground cover in the garden and create a blooming carpet of flowers. We also make use of the creeping bimorphs in hanging baskets so that the colored flowers fall and give a special beauty to our balcony.
Purple and white: two characteristic colors of dimorphic flowers
2. What conditions does dimorphotheca need to grow?
Dimorphothica requires rich, light and very well-drained soils.
The flowers of the dimorphotheca close when they are in the shade or when it gets dark, so we plant it in a place with enough sunlight where it gives us fast growth and abundant flowering.
Dimorphothecia is resistant to soil salinity and is therefore an ideal choice for seaside plantings.
It also shows great resistance to high summer temperatures, as long as it has a sufficient water supply. Of course, it is sensitive to cold and north winds, especially when it is in pots or hanging baskets on the balcony.
The dimorphotheca grows quickly and gives us abundant flowering
3. How do we plant the bimorph in a pot?
To plant the dimorphothecia on our balcony and terrace, we choose a medium-sized pot with a diameter of about 20 cm and a height of about 20 cm, which has holes in the base to drain the excess water.
We use enriched general purpose potting soil that has perlite and pumice for better water drainage when watering.
4. How often does the dimorphotheca need watering?
Dimorphotheca has significant watering requirements to have fast growth and abundant flowering.
For example, we water the dimorphotheca we have in the garden about twice a week during the spring season and every 2-3 days during the summer season.
For plants we have in the yard and on the balcony, as the water evaporates faster from the pots, we water more often, after checking that the soil in the pot has dried.
It is worth mentioning that the creeping varieties of dimorphothecia need more frequent watering and a larger amount of water than the upright ones, as they show stronger vegetative growth and form a greater number of flowers.
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5. How often do we put fertilizer in the container?
To enjoy abundant flowering with a long duration, add fertilizer once a month during spring and summer
For the dimorphothecas we have in our garden we choose complete granular fertilizer, while for plants we have in pots and planters we use liquid flowering fertilizer.
6. Which diseases and which insects attack the dimorphotheca?
To deal with mealybugs, mealybugs and coccoids that attack the foliage of the dimorphothecia, we spray preventively with a homemade solution made by mixing 1 tablespoon of grated green soap in 1 liter of water.
In cases of severe infestation, we spray the dimorphotheca plants with organic preparations that we obtain from agricultural stores such as natural pyrethrin and summer pulp.
Pyrethrum and natural pyrethrin for insect protection
If we sometimes notice holes in the leaves of the dimorphotheca and wonder what is eating the leaves, these usually come from snails or grasshoppers which in most cases do not do significant damage to require protection.
7. How do we prune the dimorphotheca?
In late autumn, after the end of its flowering, the dimorphothecia must be heavily pruned, so that it can be kept compact during the winter period.
Due to its fast growth rate, very soon, in the spring, it will give vigorous vegetation and flowering again.
In order to achieve rich and long-lasting flowering, we regularly prune, that is, lightly prune the upper part of the vegetation. In addition, we often remove its wilted and dry flowers to clean the plant and encourage the growth of new blooms.
Cut off the dry flowers of the dimorphotheca and prune lightly to help the plant produce new blooms
8. How is the dimorphotheca multiplied?
We can make new dimorphic plants easily and economically in two ways: a) by seed propagation and b) by cuttings.
- Propagation of dimorphotheca by seed: Dimorphotheca can be propagated by seed planted in early spring or by cuttings in late winter. Plants created from seed will flower a year after planting. Transplanting the new plants of the bimorph into a larger pot or directly into the soil is done when they reach a height of 20-25 cm.
- Propagation of dimorphotheca by cuttings: Propagation of dimorphotheca by cuttings is the fastest way to get new flowering plants within a few months. During spring or summer, we cut sections of shoots about 10 cm long and plant them in nursery pots that we keep in a cool environment until they take root.
How plants are propagated by cuttings
9. And a secret about the dimorphotheca
Many gardeners tend to plant in the garden and keep the dimorphotheca for 2-3 years and then renew them, as over the years the plants show thicker shoots and reduced flowering compared to the first years.
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