Marguerite Summit Pink
Argyranthemum frutescens "Summit
Pink"
When Mal Morgan of NuFlora International saw this seedling
among 20,000 marguerites at the University of Sydney
trial grounds he all but stopped dead in his tracks.
Nothing he’d seen in ten years of daisy breeding
came close to the profusion of flower that simply smothered
the 50cm bush - it redefined the meaning of prolific!
A year later it won acclaim as the best introduction
in the Colorado State University plant trials.
We hope, though, that this isn’t quite enough
to convince you of its merits; we want you to try it
yourself - you’ll be impressed with its fabulous
colour, perfect flower form and compact growth habit.
It’s a free and long flowering daisy with lovely
single pink flowers with prominent yellow centers. Up
close, the individual petals intrigue; they’re
clearly ribbed in a chrysanthemum-like fashion, adding
to the plant’s character.
There’s a bonus too - Summit Pink has repeat flowering
built in. Its flower season is extended dramatically,
with the main flower flush early in spring and extending
into summer. Improved summer heat tolerance allows the
plant to enter autumn ready for a second flush of magnificent
colour.
Summit Pink reaches a new pinnacle in daisy breeding
- it’s a peak well worth sharing with enthusiastic
gardeners everywhere.
Features
- A profusion of soft to lolly pink flowers.
- Flowers very freely for months on end.
- Compact rounded bush to around 50-60cm.
- A low maintenance perennial, just an occasional
clip and feed.
- Summit Pink was awarded a prestigious Stars of Spring
2003.
Using Summit Pink
- Instant appeal in gardens, borders and patio containers.
- Extremely adaptable going well in a wide range of
garden styles.
- As a patio subject, it’s small enough to look
good in a wide range of container shapes.
- You can pick stems & flowers for indoor posies
too.
- For a day or two, a patio pot specimen can add colour
and life indoors.
Growing Summit Pink
- Grow in full sun and a relatively open aspect.
- Plant in a well-drained soil, but don't let it dry
out over summer - the first tell tale sign of too little
water being a yellowing of the foliage in the middle
of the bush.
- Needs little by way of maintenance; a feed at the
beginning of spring and the occasional clip to tidy,
maintain vigour and encourage further flowering.
Schemes & Themes using Summit Pink
A Better Than Ever Daisy Bush
Can they go on improving
the humble marguerite, making these bush daisies smaller
and more compact but with a bigger than ever flowering
performance? Apparently they can, for ‘Summit Pink’ is considered
one of the most amazing marguerites ever. The bushes
are just fifty centimetres high and when they’re
smothered in flowers, which they are for months on end,
the effect is pretty spectacular. The main flowering
times are spring until well into summer, then again in
autumn.
It’s a patio plant supreme, putting on
a top performance in pots, either on its own or along
with other plants. We like the idea of using ‘Summit
Pink’ with trailing plants, such as Bacopa ‘Blue
Showers’ which will tumble over the edge of the
pot and carry on flowering even longer than the marguerite.
It’s a delightfully cheerful plant to grow beside
an entranceway or letterbox too, among annuals perhaps,
or with roses, maybe perennials such as blue delphiniums
or some of the small growing single dahlias, in pink
or white, or the new lavender ‘Provocatif’ -
the ideas are endless.
Remember, if you are growing marguerites
in pots they will need regular watering. In the
garden, watering is a good idea during dry summer spells
to keep them growing to perfection.
A clipping now and
then encourages new flowers to keep on coming.
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