For non-stop daisies, choose Argyranthemums

Single or double in white, pink, yellow, red and more, if you want gap-filling blooms from summer into autumn, you’d better make it marguerites, says Graham Rice

- Graham Rice

THEY used to be called marguerites, and before that were known as Paris daisies. Botanically, they were included with the chrysanthemums, but now we mainly call them argyranthemums, which is correct for most of these super summer flowers. However, when I first came across them, they went by the name that tells you everything, really: shrubby chrysanths.

Argyranthemums are single or double daisies, held on twiggy bushes. In the 1970s, cuttings were brought back to Britain from the Canary Islands and Madeira, where I remember seeing them in gardens and even by the roadside, and where, in the mild climate, they flowered almost all the year round.

Here in the UK, they proved ideal for the new style of summer bedding schemes that were coming into fashion as the approach became less formal less ‘red, white and blue’ – than the traditional schemes previously favoured.

The plants developed into densely branched bushes measuring 2-3ft (60- 90cm) high and wide, the best producing a constant stream of flowers through the summer – especially when pinched out to encourage branching. Some could even be trained as standards for containers.

Those with flowers like simple white daisies were the most often seen – some even came with attractive grey foliage that still looked good even if flowering slackened off for a while. ‘Vancouver’, an anemone-centred pink, became hugely popular, along with the bright yellow ‘Jamaica Primrose’.