African daisies

In this photo from summer (school slope garden), some transplanted self sown plants of Ursinia nana, a summer growing ursinia I collected in Pretoria years ago, intermingle with a colorful gazania. The gazanias did well until other stuff overgrew some of them, plus I found out that rabbits will nibble on their flowers. Growing stuff not liked by animals, such as salvia greggii hybrids nearby tends to discourage the varmints. Hot red pepper powder liberally scattered on the plants is even more effective. Gazanias don't like excessive rain, but do like sun and cooler weather. The ursinia is not at all picky, merely requiring a sunny spot to flower well. I find it odd that of the ursinias one can find to grow in the USA, most all are species, or derivitives thereof, from the winter rainfall regions of the Cape of South Africa, so they tend to fizzle out when it gets hot. Ursinia nana, on the other hand, will flower nonstop from early summer until after the first frosts. The seedheads of Ursinia are quite ornamental themselves, consisting of a ball of little white umbrella-like seeds.