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Features
The mid green foliage grows in clumps of long, lobed leaves. It has round buds bursting into wide, dark red (sometimes with a tinge of orange), daisy-like flowers with a black/yellow centre, on tall single stems.
Flowers close in the evening or when there is dull weather – this plant is a real sun worshipper!
What to use it for
Very drought tolerant, so useful for dry spots and containers. Good for cut flowers to put in water or to dry. It will also look stunning in beds and borders or gravel gardens.
How to look after it
If you want to keep it over winter then you’ll need to move it to a warm spot (ideally a heated greenhouse), otherwise treat it as an annual and remove it at the end of the flowering season.
How to prune it
Deadhead regularly to encourage a longer flowering season, removing each flowered stem down to the base.
How to propagate it
Take basal semi or semi-ripe stem-tip cuttings from late summer to early autumn, if possible selecting non-flowering shoots or at least removing any flower buds from them. Use well draining compost and keep them warm, humid but well ventilated for 2 to 3 weeks then pot on and keep them warm over winter before planting out in spring.
You also can grow this from seed, although they may not come true to the original plant’s appearance, in the spring.
Common problems
Aphids and leaf-mining flies can be a problem.
