About
Ammobium alatum is a half-hardy annual that typically reaches a height of approximately 60 cm. The plant features narrow, oval leaves that are pale green and covered with a soft, white fuzz. From June to September, it produces single, daisy-like flowers with silvery-white petals and prominent yellow centers, borne on upright, winged green stems. This species is well-suited for cutting and is often utilized in dried flower arrangements. It also attracts beneficial insects such as bees, hoverflies, and predatory wasps.
About the genus
Ammobium consists of upright annual plants that are typically cultivated as such. They feature simple, white-hairy foliage and sturdy, winged stems that support clusters of papery, everlasting flowerheads measuring up to 2.5 cm in diameter during the summer months.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Bushy, Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Wildflower meadow, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in preferably sandy, moist but well-drained soil in a sheltered position in full sun. Water during dry periods, but avoid over-watering as will not tolerate wet soils
- Pruning
- Deadhead spent flower heads to encourage more. Remove and compost at the end of the season
- Propagation
- Sow indoors into moist but well-drained, peat-free compost and keep at 15°C until germination, which is generally in around 10 to 15 days. Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle and grow on, hardening off in a cold frame or greenhouse before planting out in a sheltered, sunny position in moist but well-drained soil when the risk of frost has passed. Prefers a sandy, humus-rich soil, but will cope with most soils as long as they are well-drained
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free but may be susceptible to rots and fungal diseases if roots become waterlogged