Fortunette Red Flare African Daisy
Osteospermum 'Fortunette Red Flare'
Height: 10 inches
Spacing: 12 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Group/Class: Fortunette Series
Brand: Ball
Ornamental Features
Fortunette Red Flare African Daisy is clothed in stunning red daisy flowers with orange overtones, steel blue eyes and a violet flare 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
Fortunette Red Flare African Daisy is an herbaceous annual 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.
Fortunette Red Flare 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
Fortunette Red Flare African Daisy will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.
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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. 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 particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.
Fortunette Red Flare 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.