Plant Finder
Akila® White African Daisy
Osteospermum ecklonis 'Akila White'
Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 14 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 8b
Group/Class: Akila Series
Brand: Ball
Description:
Full, well branched plants producing multitudes of beautiful white flowers with dark purple centers; drought tolerant once established; a great choice for mass plantings and containers
Ornamental Features
Akila® White African Daisy is bathed in stunning white daisy flowers at the ends of the stems from early summer to mid fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its spiny narrow leaves remain green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Akila® White African Daisy is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Akila® White African Daisy is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
- Hanging Baskets
Planting & Growing
Akila® White African Daisy will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Akila® White African Daisy is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.