NICE! Plant of the Month
(Melampodium leucanthum)
Image courtesy of USDA NRCS National PLANTS database.
Description:
Low-growing perennial wildflower. The gray-green, softly hairy foliage forms a neat mound. Height 6 to 12 inches, width 12-15 inches. Bloom is 1 inch across, a white honey-scented flower with yellow center. Bloom period is March to November. Evergreen most winters, can go dormant in cold winter.
Found on limestone and calcareous soils from West Texas to the Hill Country in Texas. Also in Kansas, Colorado, Arizona and Mexico.
Deer Resistance:
Is deer resistant.
Planting Sites:
Plant in full sun to part sun in well-drained sites. Do not plant under sprinkler irrigation where it will be watered with lawn. Acceptable soil types include sand, caliche, limestone, and rocky gravelly soils. Works well in a rock garden or in poor soils. Will grow in richer soils but don’t overwater.
Planting Instructions:
Plant 1 foot apart, can be massed like annuals or planted individually. Dig hole slightly larger than, but the same depth as the nursery container. Carefully remove plant from container and gently loosen any compacted soil around the root ball. Plant at the same depth as the soil in the container. Will grow larger if soil is complemented with compost. Does not like or need much fertilizer. After watering, add 2 inches of mulch around plant.
Watering Instructions:
If planting in spring: Water in well after planting, using root stimulator according to directions. Water deeply every 7-10 days, checking an inch or two into soil at edge of root ball to determine soil moisture. Skip a watering after a rainfall of ½ to 1 inch.
First fall/winter:
Maintain this watering schedule until the first fall after planting. Reduce water during fall and winter. In a “normal” year, no watering may be necessary in fall and winter, but during a dry period, monthly watering may be desirable.
Second spring and thereafter:
Water monthly only in periods of drought. Once established, Blackfoot daisy will survive with little supplemental irrigation.
Other care:
Remove dead blooms to encourage more flowers. Cut back by one-half before spring growth to encourage fullness.
NICE! Tip:
Use instead of hybrid coreopsis, annuals such as zinnias and petunias, many other exotic perennials.
Look for the NICE! Plant of the Month signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating Boerne nursery. And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.