Dimorphotheca Gold Seeds

Dimorphotheca Gold lights up the garden with large, glossy daisy-like flowers about 5-8 cm across in a warm golden-yellow tone. The blooms open wide to face the sun and close in the evening or on dull days, giving a living, sun-following display. Native to the winter-rainfall region of South Africa and Namibia, this annual is naturally suited to cool seasons, full sun and sandy soil, making it a low-fuss, drought-tolerant choice for sunny beds, borders, rockeries and coastal gardens.

Planting

In Egypt grow it as a cool-season winter annual, sowing from mid-September through November when soil sits near 16-21 C. Choose a warm, fully sunny spot with at least 6 hours of direct sun. Sow shallowly and barely cover the seed (about 0.5 cm), raking lightly outdoors so it is not blown or washed away. Keep the seedbed consistently moist; seedlings emerge in roughly 7-14 days. Thin or prick out seedlings at about 5 cm tall, spacing plants around 20-30 cm apart.

Fertilizing

Feed lightly at planting with a balanced all-purpose fertilizer. The soil should be only moderately fertile, and the plant thrives even in poor, sandy ground, so keep feeding minimal. Avoid heavy or high-nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves at the expense of flowers.

Care

Grow in light, very well-drained soil; heavy or waterlogged ground causes crown and root rot. Keep young plants moist until about 10 cm tall, then water moderately and let the soil dry between waterings. Water in the morning and keep foliage and flowers dry to prevent downy mildew and gray mould, especially in the humid Delta and on the Alexandria coast. Deadhead spent flowers to extend bloom from December-January into March-April. Watch for aphids, and protect coastal plantings from hard frost.