Felicia ameloides, Blue Felicia, is a cheerful and ‘sunny’ addition to any garden. Its daisy flowers are sky or even darker blue with a yellow centre. They are borne in profusion.
It can be planted in mass as a groundcover or mixed with other colourful perennials or use a single plant as a focal plant in a small garden.
It grows and flowers best in full sun but will still flower well in dappled shade. It is both cold and drought hardy.
Family: ASTERACEAE (Daisy family)
Name Derivation:
-
Felicia – named to honor Herr Felix, an official in Regerisburg, Germany, who died in 1846.
-
amelloides – resembles Amellus, a closely related genus.
Common Names:
-
Blue Felicia, shrubby felicia (Eng), bloumagriet and blou-astertjie (Afr).
Features of Felicia ameloides
Form:
A small, perennial shrub.
Size:
- 45cm * 45cm.
Foliage:
- Evergreen.
- The simple leaves are more or less elliptical, (2 by 1 cm).
- Normally dark green, there is a cultivar with green and white leaves
Thorns: No Thorns
Felicia ameloides forms a neat rounded shrub that may need some light pruning to maintain its shape.
The flowers of Felicia ameloides have a yellow central disc with blue ray petals extending from the disc.
Each Blue Felicia flower is a stunning master piece.
Flowers:
- About 12 ‘ray’ flowers each with a large, single petal, that surround numerous small, yellow flowers.
- These flowerheads are borne above the plant on slender stalks.
Colour:
- Sky or darker blue, or white with yellow centre.
Fragrant:
- Not scented.
Flowering Months:
- Sep – Apr, all year in warm climates.
Fruit:
- The seed is attached to a ‘fluffy parachute’ that enables wind dispersal.
Growing Felicia ameloides
In the Garden:
- Felicia amelloides is a very versatile garden plant.
- They can be mass planted or inter-planted with other contrasting perennials
- Felicia may also be used as an edging plant.
- Although probably best in full sun it will grow and flower in partial shade.
- Well suited to containers and planters, where it can be used on its own or as a ‘base’ to larger specimen plants.
- Good companion plants include Scabiosa africana, S. “Blue Butterfly” S. “Pink Mist”, various Helichrysium species, Agapanthus species, and Bulbine frutescense
Planting spacing:
- 3 per square metre.
Soil Needs:
- Well composted soil with good drainage.
Felicia ameloides used as groundcover base with Dietes grandiflora to a tree in a driveway.
The variegated form of the Blue Felicia used as a groundcover in dappled shade in front of Clivia miniata.
Felicia ameloides used as a border plant between a lawn and a flower bed.
A planting of Felicia ameloides on the edge of a soft paved area with a backdrop of Freylinia tropica.
Care:
- A low maintenance garden plant.
- Dead heading old flowers will encourage more flowers.
- Prune at annually to retain form and youth.
- Feed with an organic fertilizer like 2:3:2 or 3:1:5 and mulch with compost.
- May need replacing after about 5 years.
- Like many soft herbs, Felicia amelloides may be a host to dodder (Cuscuta campestris).
- Felicia amelloides may be a host to dodder (Cuscuta campestris).
Cold Hardiness: Hardy.
Water Requirements:
- Although drought hardy, thrives on regular water.
- Water-wise.
Light Requirements: Full sun or light shade.
Roots: The roots are not aggressive.
Space Requirements: Plant 75cm to 1m apart.
Light Requirements: Partial shade to full sun.
Roots: Not invasive.
Ecology of Felicia ameloides
Birds:
· Insectivorous birds will forage in and among the plants.
Bees:
· Bees visit the flowers.
Butterflies and other Insects:
- Adult butterflies and moths and other insect feed from the flowers.
Medicinal:
- No references to any medical use for this plant was found.
Poisonous: Not Poisonous.
Notes of interest:
There is a form with white and yellow flowers known as Felicia amelloides ‘Alba’ and form, Felicia ameloides ‘Variegata’ that has variegated green and white leaves.
Bees and other insects visit the flowers for food.
Natural Distribution:
· Found in the WC and EC along the coastal strip from De Hoop to the Kei River.
· Endemic to South Africa.
Natural Habitat: Found on stony flats and hillsides and older coastal sand dunes.
References:
Eliovson, Sima “Wild Flowers of southern Africa” 1955, fully revised 1980 Macmillan South Africa (Publishers) (Pty) Ltd Johannesburg
Honig, Marjke “Indigenous Plant Palettes” 2014 Quivertree Publications Pretoria
Joffe, Pitta & Oberholzer, Tinus “Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants, A South African Guide” 2nd ed. 2012 Briza Publications Pretoria
Manning, John “Field Guide to Fynbos” 2007 Struik Publishers Cape Town
Smithies S. J. “Felicia ameloides” 2005 PlantZAfrica National Herberium, Pretoria (Referenced 22 April 2022) Link: http://pza.sanbi.org/felicia-amelloides
Wikipedia “Felicia ameloides” (Referenced 22 April 2022) Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicia_amelloides
© Malcolm Dee Hepplewhite & Witkoppen Wildflower Nursery, (Text and Photographs) 2012 & 2022.