Angelita daisy

Sun

Full sun; flowering and compact growth are best with at least six hours of direct sunlight.

Water

Low once established. Water new plants regularly while they root, then water deeply only during prolonged dry spells; avoid persistently damp soil.

Soil

Lean, sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soil. Tolerates neutral to alkaline conditions; heavy clay and winter wet are poor conditions.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m), including flower stems

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Yellow daisies with yellow centres, mainly in late spring and summer; occasional later flowers in favourable conditions.

Foliage

Narrow green to grey-green leaves, often hairy, clustered at ground level; evergreen in mild climates and partly or fully dormant in colder winters.

Growth

Slow to moderate; forms a compact clump.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a sunny site with sharp drainage.
• Water during establishment, allowing the soil surface to dry between waterings.
• Once established, water only during extended drought rather than on a lawn-watering schedule.
• Avoid routine feeding; rich soil and excess fertiliser encourage loose growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch around the plant, keeping compost and bark mulch away from the crown.

Pruning. Snip spent flower stems back to the basal foliage to keep plants tidy and encourage further flowering. In early spring, remove dead leaves without cutting into the living crown.

Early spring

Remove dead foliage and check that the crown has not become buried or waterlogged.

Spring

Plant nursery-grown plants after the soil becomes workable; water them in thoroughly.

Late spring

Check establishing plants for dry root balls and water deeply when needed.

Summer

Remove spent flower stems if you want a tidier display; avoid frequent light watering.

Autumn

Leave a few seed heads if you want seed, and remove fallen leaves that collect over the crown.

Winter

Keep drainage channels clear and avoid watering dormant outdoor plants unless conditions are unusually dry.

• Plant along the front of a dry border for low foliage and small yellow flowers.
• Tuck into sunny rock gardens and raised gravel beds where water drains quickly.
• Repeat small groups among drought-tolerant grasses for a naturalistic prairie effect.
• Combine with low penstemons and creeping thyme for contrasting flower colours and textures.

Garden styles it suits: Dry gravel garden, Desert / xeriscape, Mountain lodge, Alpine rock garden, Pollinator garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Blue grama, Prairie smoke, Creeping thyme, Pineleaf penstemon and Purple prairie clover.

Wildlife: The flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other small pollinating insects.

• Crown and root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised gravel bed; do not keep watering a declining, soggy plant.
• Sparse flowering or floppy growth in shade: move to full sun and stop unnecessary feeding.
• Slugs and snails may damage fresh growth in damp gardens: remove hiding places and use wildlife-conscious controls if needed.

It is not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, but species-specific safety information is limited. No particular toxic part or severity is established; treat it as an ornamental rather than an edible plant and discourage pets from eating it.

• Angelita daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa)

  Often sold under the same common name. It typically has greener, narrower leaves and a longer flowering season in warm climates; T. acaulis often has hairier, greyer foliage.

• Richardson's rubberweed (Hymenoxys richardsonii)

  Has divided leaves and branching, leafy flowering stems, rather than the simple basal leaves and mostly leafless, single-flowered stalks of Tetraneuris acaulis.

Tetraneuris refers to the four nerves in the ray florets, while acaulis means stemless, referring to the plant's low basal foliage rather than its visible flower stalks.

Propagation. Grow from seed sown in a gritty, well-drained mix. Seed from some populations benefits from a period of cold, moist conditions before spring germination; follow the supplier's guidance. Divide established, multi-crowned clumps carefully in spring, retaining roots on each piece.

Accepted botanical name

Tetraneuris acaulis

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alberta, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Measured

Average height 5 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.