About
Reaching heights of 20 to 70 centimeters and widths of 25 to 45 centimeters, Callistephus chinensis features flowers reminiscent of chrysanthemums. These blooms can be found in single, semi-double, or double forms, measuring between 7 to 12 centimeters in diameter. The plants produce flowers on branching stems, displaying a range of colors including light and dark purple, light and dark pink, red, yellow, and white, with a flowering period extending from late summer into autumn.
About the genus
Callistephus consists of upright, bushy annual plants characterized by coarsely serrated, oval leaves. These plants produce large, single or double flower heads resembling daisies, which typically bloom in late summer and autumn.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, City and courtyard gardens, Wildlife gardens, Mediterranean climate plants
- Native to
- China
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in a sheltered site in fertile, neutral to alkaline, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Tall cultivars require staking
- Pruning
- Deadhead to prolong flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown at 16°C in early spring or in situ in mid-spring
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids and cutworms
- Disease resistance
- Prone to wilt diseases