Swan River daisy is an annual plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family and originates from Australia. The plants grow to a height of 12 – 18 inches and produce small mauve, blue, white, or rose blooms.
These flowers feature a daisy-like look with yellow or black centers. Swan river daisies don’t flower in scorching weather; they produce flowers in the cooler months from August to May.
Swan River daisy (Brachycome iberidifolia) tends to mound, making this annual superb for edging tall borders and hanging baskets. You can start the seeds of Swan River daisy by sowing them directly into your garden or starting them indoors. This plant might be hardy perennials or annuals.
Some popular names for Brachycome, which are used in the garden, include Variable daisy, Yellow tongue daisy, Swan River daisy, Rocky daisy, and Cut leaved daisy.
It is best to sow out annuals every 4 weeks to make sure there’s a regular flowering season. It would be best if you sowed in well-drained clay and sandy soils. The soil has to be weed free, with weed control occurring during the month before your plant.
These plants are common annual in the garden, which has resulted in lots of different varieties of Swan River becoming available. These include Blue star, Blue Zephyr; Mauve Delight; Purple splendor; California Pink, and Mini Yellow.
Perfect for tubs, rock gardens, big areas, borders, ground cover or hanging baskets, to give the garden Spring color.
Starting Swan River daisy seeds indoors
You can start the seeds indoors 6 – 8 weeks before the last frost date for your region. Try set up a hydroponic indoor garden. Germination often takes roughly 10 – 18 days when you keep them in a room with a temperature of 70°F. Once the threat of frost passes, you can transplant your seedlings outside, spacing those 6 inches apart.
Starting Swan River daisy seeds outside
Sow these seeds directly outside after the threat of frost passes, spacing Swan River daisy seeds or thinning later seedlings to 6 inches apart. For constant flowering that will last all summer months, sow every 14 days.
Sow the seeds in a place that has well-drained soil and full sun. Once blooms emerge, they usually last 2 – 4 weeks.
Continuing care of Swan River daisy
This plant needs low-care and can tolerate dry weather. You can encourage new growth by shearing back spent flowers. Like other annuals, fertilize this plant with a 20-20-20- liquid fertilizer two times weekly.
In addition, don’t do overhead watering, which may result in fungal issues. To prevent root rot issues, ensure that the plant has enough drainage, so the roots aren’t sitting in damp soil.
Swan River daisy and pests
This plant doesn’t have serious diseases or insect pests; however, you might want to look for snails and slugs that can munch on leaves of the Swan River daisy, leaving holes.
These insects feed during the night, so it would help if you go out early in the morning or during the night to catch them. You can control the issue by placing slug and snail traps in your garden and throwing them every day.
The flowers of Swan River daisy have a mild scent, which helps in attracting butterflies.
How you can grow Swan River daisy
When you want to plant Swan River daisy outside, it will help if you arm yourself with the right gardening tools which will help you sow its seeds on the surface.
After that, provide the seeds light topsoil covering. It is best to begin sowing after the last spring frost. Sowing has to continue every 3 weeks or so the entire season.
If you are planning first to grow Brachycome genus like Swan River daisies indoor, then it is best to prepare the seeds about 8 weeks before you place out; before the last spring frost.
Germination of these species will generally take roughly 2 – 3 weeks when done at 18 – 22°C. It is best to use a spacing of 6 – 8 inches to plant the seedlings in a partially or sunny shaded place. The soil needs have a pH of 6 – 7 and rich.
Flowers don’t often last long, so extend the flowering time by deadheading. After that, sow out seeds every 3 – 4 weeks to maintain a constant bloom in your garden. Brachycome species are sensitive to over-watering since they have tiny leaves.
These plants like light, and if growing in a container, it is essential that you give them a continuous supply of low-level fertilizer supply. Since Swan River daisy doesn’t do well in salty soils, it is best to perform a test of salt-soil levels frequently.
Important information about care of Swan River daisy
Originating from Australia, these plants are tough and can tolerate an array of soil conditions. The perfect growing conditions for swan river daisies include organically rich, moist, well-drained soil.
But these plants adapt to tough conditions, growing in rocky, clay soil, and even sandy outcroppings. Regardless of where you intend to grow these species, they appreciate moderately frequent fertilizer applications.
If Swan River daisies are growing in containers, it is best to apply a slow-release fertilizer with a dose of liquid food every couple of weeks to ensure they remain productive.
How to test soil for plating Swan River daisy
Do you want to grow the best Swan River diaries possible, ensure you plant in full sunshine?
This will make sure that they put on many blooms possible on beautiful dense plants. These plants are prone to powdery mildew, a widespread foliar fungal disease; however, full sunshine will help keep Swan river daisies free from issues and dry.
If the plants grow in lots of shade, they will become droopy and do not bloom as much. The plants will do well in cool summer conditions. In regions with hot summer months, Swan river daisies might slow down or totally stop flowering altogether.
When the summer heat starts, the plants gain from shearing back to roughly half their original size. This will help revitalize the plant and help in encouraging bushy new growth.
Additionally, this helps build the groundwork for lots of fall flowers once the temperature starts cooling off once more.
