Real World Gardener Australian Paper Daisies in Plant of the Week

Rhodanthe chlorocephala Paper daisies Some people call them paper daisies, some call them everlastings but as we say on Real World Gardener, don’t be fooled with common names because they are most often applied to an array of plants. <a href='https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqOdz0PDAp0/YFQ3yWyCFWI/AAAAAAAAkV4/-52OGlu6-hU77moGTt8Na4Vqgfpa_T_GACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pink%2Beverlasting.jpg'></a> <p> </p> Scientific name: Rhodanthe chlorocephala Common name: pink & white everlasting Family: Asteraceae Flowers: from winter to spring, daisy like flowers 1-6cm in diameter, composed of white or pink papery bracts. Heads normally appear singly, but tip pruning will encourage branching to produce multiple flower heads. Position: full sun in well drained, even sandy soils. easily propagated from seed. Best sown in late autumn or early winter.  If conditions are right, they will self-seed, otherwise collect the seed when the flowers turns into a fluffy head.Store the seed head in a paper bag until next season. Whatever you call them, it’s something even beginner gardeners can grow to pretty up their patch. Australia's version of meadow planting can be easily achieved with these paper daisies or everlastings. All you need to do is scatter 1 gm of seeds per square metre and rake gently into the soil. The seeds will germinate in 7-10 days if kept moist. Expect a carpet of flowers as you would see in Western Australia. Rhodanthe chlorocephala subspecies rosea is the most widely grown subspecies and is commonly known as “Pink and White Everlasting”, “Rosy Sunray”, “Pink Paper-daisy” and “Rosy Everlasting.” The flowers can be dried like other native daisies and used in floral arrangements for months. Let’s find out more, I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.