Japanese name: マーガレット Scientific name:Argyranthemum
[Overview]
Plants generally sold as marguerite include, besides Mokushun-giku, garden cultivars produced by crossing Mokushun-giku with related species such as Shungiku and Hanawa-giku.
It is a perennial, but some are treated horticulturally as annuals.
The leaves are alternate and deeply pinnately cut.
The flower heads are solitary in the leaf axils and consist of ray florets and tubular florets.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from shoot cuttings.
It has weak cold tolerance and also dislikes summer heat and humidity.
In regions without frost it can overwinter outdoors.
It prefers well-drained, fertile soil and dislikes acidic soil.
Potted plants should be kept indoors in a sunny place from winter to spring and placed outdoors in full sun from early summer to autumn, but from the rainy season through midsummer it is best placed in a well-ventilated partial shade out of the rain.
When planting in the ground, choose a sunny place not exposed to cold winter winds, and protect it from the cold in winter with a straw mulch or a vinyl greenhouse.
Water sparingly in midsummer, and in other seasons water when the soil surface dries.
In addition to base fertilizer, apply slow-release fertilizer once each in spring and autumn.
Pests and diseases include fusarium wilt, damping-off, aphids and cutworms.
Continuous cropping makes damping-off more likely.
