Amellus
Annual
Family: Compositae
Amellus annuus
An attractive half-hardy annual from South Africa
and listed also as Amellus
strigosus var. willdenovii.
The leaves are two inches long, with a single
tooth on each side.
The flowers are not unlike some Cinerarias in
form and comprise deep purplish-blue rays surrounding
a dark disc, the height being about six inches.
This is a most useful plant for inclusion in the
annual border.
It may be used as a contrast to orange, apricot
or golden yellow flowers.
It will usually need a position towards the front
of the border owing to its dwarf stature.
It is also an annual that is useful for the front
of an herbaceous border as, owing to its long
season of flowering, it helps to mask the gaps
left by shorter lived flowers.
The seed may be sown in April out-of-door where
the plants are to bloom, provided they are given
the protection of cloches until late May.
Alternatively, seed may be sown earlier under
glass, the seedlings pricked off and planted out
when risk of frost has passed.
Propagation is from seed.
The flowering season is from June until frost.
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