Composite Flowers

Composite Flowers

Plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae). All plants in this family have composite flowers. These "flowers" have one or more rays of florets that are arranged in a circle so as to look like one flower. The centre is usually made up of closely spaced group of real flowers with insignificant petals.


Arcotis
This versatile ground cover plant South Africa is great for dry exposed banks. The flowers start in late Winter carries on right through the Summer. [more ...]
 
Calendula
The yellow / orange flowers of this old English cottage favourite appear for most of the Summer. It has been used both as a herb and for medicine. [more ...]
 

Chrysanthemums
This is a group of chrysanthemums grown for their daisy like flowers. Garland Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium) is edible and is grown as a vegetable. [more ...]
 

Chrysocoma
Chrysocoma ciliata is a low growing shrub that flowers in the spring. The small yellow daisy like terminal flowers are produced en-masse, smothering the plant. [more ...]
 

Cineraria
Half hardy perennial/Annual that flowers in Spring and Summer. Variable: seedlings from the same plant often produces different coloured flowers. [more ...]
 
Coreopsis
This group of drought tolerant hardy annual/perennial wildflowers is native to North America. The bright yellow, red and bi-coloured flowers appear almost all year long. [more ...]
 

Cornflower
The blue flowers of this plant brightens up any dull garden. The flowers are suitable for cutting and drying, retaining their bright colour well. [more ...]
 
Cosmos
This drought tolerant annual has delicate fern-like foliage. The flowers appear in Summer and lasts until the first frost. [more ...]
 

Dahlia
A tuberous deciduous perennial with flowers of various sizes and shapes, and available in white, yellow, orange, pink, red and purple. [more ...]
 
Gaillardia pulchella
This hardy perennial produces brilliant coloured flowers with purple centres and yellow / scarlet petals. It is tolerant of salty conditions and will put on a good display in light sand. [more ...]
 

Jerusalem Artichoke
Jerusalem artichoke is a perennial sunflower, the underground rhizomes is what is eaten. It flowers in the Autumn and is worth growing just for the flowers. [more ...]
 
Ligularia
This plant has large bold leaves and looks impressive when planted en-masse. The flowers are borned above the leaves in spikes, each holding a dozen or so flowers. The petals are golden yellow. [more ...]
 

Marigold
This dwarf double French marigold only grows to 20cm tall and is very suitable for the border or container gardening. Staking is not needed, unlike the taller varieties. [more ...]
 
Osteospermum
An excellent ground cover plant for dry and exposed areas. It is available in a number of colours, and some types have spoon shaped petals. [more ...]
 


Purple Coneflower
A hardy deciduous perennial usually known for its medicinal qualities. The purple flowers with dark conical centres appear in the Summer. [more ...]
 
Rudbeckia
Closely related to Echinacea, Rudbeckia is an easy to grow annual/biennial/perennial that produces bright yellow/orange flowers with a dark centre in Summer. [more ...]
 

Straw flower
This annual is popular for dried flower arrangements. The white / pink / red / yellow / orange flowers have dry and hard petals. [more ...]
 
Sunflower
The sunflower, a favourite of kid's gardens, is quick and easy to grow. Numerous cultivars exist and it is now possible to get multi-flowering dwarf plants that can even be grown in containers. [more ...]