Argyranthemum, which in our area can only be grown as a letnik, is a garden crop that pleases the eye with abundant flowering. For an annual plant, it is very large and more like a shrub that grows in the soil or container. Flowering, fascinating and charming eyes, begins in the first half of summer and pleases him until the cold weather. It looks like a scattering of delicate chamomiles with golden-sunny centers. Growing and caring for argirantemum requires some skills and labor, which is compensated by the beauty of flowering and the riot of colors until late autumn.
Short description
Before argirantemum belonged to the genus of chrysanthemums, but after the twentieth species of the flower was discovered, it was singled out into a separate genus of the Astrovye family. At the moment, 23 species are known in the genus of argirantemums.
Other names for argirantemus:
- silver flower;
- daisy chrysanthemum;
- Parisian daisy.
The endemic of the Canary Islands, and more specifically, the Madeira Islands, argirantemum is a creeping perennial in its homeland. As an ornamental plant in a more temperate climate, the flower is an erect shrub, it is also possible the formation of a stem shape.Did you know? In the Canaries there are representatives of the ancient flora, which have long disappeared in the mainland of Europe.
In our gardens argirantemum - a wide 30-centimeter bush, which in some cases can reach a meter height. The leaves and shoots are woven into an openwork lush design, resembling a pillow.
On the tops of the twigs in July appear inflorescences resembling chamomile, aster or anemone. The color is usually very delicate, close to white, the shade can be:
- white;
- cream;
- yellow;
- pink;
- apricot.
The leaves have a bright green or silver color and also represent a decorative value. Collected in the rosette, they give it pomp at the expense of pinnately dissected form.Important! It is not easy to recreate the natural conditions of the Canary Islands for argirantemus: he does not like the bright sun and shade, does not tolerate heat, is more loyal to the coolness, the greenhouse option doesn’t suit him at all by illumination, humidity or temperature. But resistance to drafts and wind allows you to draw silver flowers, for example, flower beds along the embankments.
Popular varieties
Of all the species diversity, the most popular species and varieties are:
- fennel-shaped - the view is remarkable for the fact that it has original greenery, resembling dill in appearance;
- feather-split - succulent species, characterized by drought tolerance;
- Lemsa - leaves of this species resemble leaves of yarrow;
- 'Dana' - a low-growing plant with a bluish foliage, it grows like a lush pillow, the inflorescences of 'Dana' are gentle and touching;
- 'Madeira' - got its name in honor of the Portuguese island, has pink or cherry flowers;
- `La Rita` -flowers painted in warm peach color delicate flowers;
- 'Sweety' - quite tall, up to 70 cm, bush, flowers have pale pink with a white ring around the core, and the leaves are bright green;
- 'Flamingo' - blooms with exquisite pink flowers for an unusually long time: from early summer until the first frost in October, the bush grows up to half a meter and looks great in borders and flower beds;
- 'Daizy Crazy Summersong Rose' - begins to bloom in June and pleases the eyes with light pink flowers until September, suitable for both the soil and for planting in containers;
- 'Angelic White' - begins to bloom in mid-summer with snow-white flowers that delight with their appearance for two months, suitable for the formation of a stem plant.
Use in garden compositions
In our climate, the Argirantemum may have two roles: the letnik grown in a container or an annual large shrub grown in the soil, taking part in garden compositions and landscape design.
In container growing, the flower is treated with growth accelerators for the earliest possible flowering, and already in spring such bushes can beautify the space. They are used by:
- on the porch near the house or at the entrance to the terrace;
- in the pot garden;
- in a place equipped for recreation;
- on a bed;
- in the house or on the veranda, in general - anywhere.
Treated with growth inhibitors, container plants do not stretch into growth, but form a dense dense bush with a “cap”.The argirantemum formed in the form of a stem will be appropriate everywhere: a small tree with a lush abundantly flowering crown will become a charming addition to the interior of the house, patio, veranda. In the conditions of the street, an unusual tree will be appropriate both in a flowerbed or in rockeries, and at the entrance to a house or yard.
The stem tree is not so difficult to form:
- remove side shoots from seedlings;
- bind it to the installed support;
- after lignification occurs, transplant into a larger tank;
- after the seedling grows to the desired height, remove the growing point;
- form a spherical crown, limiting the growth of lateral shoots.
- flower bed or rabatku, placing catchy color accents;
- flowerbed or rockeries, adding to the composition abundantly flowering mass;
- mixborders, greatly enhancing the impression of violent flowering;
- the borders framing garden paths.
Learn more about cultivation in the open field, planting by the seed method, types and application of garden fruit - "garden chamomile".
When and how to buy seedlings
Argyranthemum can be purchased as a prepared potted plant, rooted cutting, or you can buy seeds and grow the plant yourself.
Saplings to buy better in the spring, so that in the summer they could already please you with their flowering. Try to adjust the timing in such a way that the danger of night frost is over, and you can plant the seedlings into the ground as quickly as possible.
It is better to purchase plants in specialized stores, nurseries with a good reputation or proven floriculture farms.
Refrain from buying if the plant has reddened or yellowed leaves.
Depending on the size of the selected plant will vary its price. 
Transplantation of seedlings in open ground
Immediately after the disappearance of the threat of night frost, the plant should be transplanted into the ground. For Parisian daisies growing in pots and containers, this rule is equally true - the plant should be placed in natural conditions as soon as it becomes possible.
Timing
For seedlings argirantemou seed sown in March. In mid-May, when frost is not expected, it is possible to land in the ground. The terms are approximate, depending on the region and the forecast for the current spring.
Did you know? The climate of the Canary Islands is ideal for people experiencing problems with pressure. There is no temperature difference, the air is rather dry, but saturated with oxygen, in summer the temperature does not rise above 28 ° C, and in winter it does not fall below 20 ° C.
In any case, the plant takes time to acclimatize, which is easier to pass under its usual conditions. 
Location selection
Argyranthemum is a tropical inhabitant, only his native tropics — the Canaries — are not hot and filled with moisture, but warm, periodically blown by cool winds from the ocean. Recreating the original conditions for the plant is extremely difficult, you can only try to bring them closer to the natural, as far as possible.
Important! Choosing a place for chrysanthemums, you should carefully look at the areas where the lighting is diffused. Polycarbonate canopy as a diffuser is also good - it provides adequate lighting and does not allow drying.
The soil should be light, water stagnation is unacceptable, but drafts are permissible.
Landing process
Planting in the soil, you need to be careful and do not harm the roots. To deepen seedlings need to the same depth at which they were before planting in temporary pots. 
It is better to choose an overcast day for planting an argirantemuma, and if such is not foreseen, it is advisable to plant the seedlings early in the morning or in the evening when there is no direct sunlight, in the same conditions further care should be taken, for example, watering or feeding:
- digging a hole of about 40 cm; if there are several plants, the wells should be placed at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other;
- if necessary, the bottom of the well is supplied with drainage, on top of which a layer of fertile soil 1x1 mixed with sand is laid;
- the seedling is put into the hole, buried, and the earth is compacted around the stem so that there are no air pockets.
At first, the plant is watered vigorously to make it easier to stick.
As well as argirantemum, the Astrovye family includes dahlias, rudbeckia, osteospermum, doronicum, cineraria, gelenium, ageratum, helihrisum, mordovnik.
Care Tips
Being a tropical plant, argirantemum is very whimsical: it does not tolerate frost, persists in humid conditions, requires light drained soil, is sensitive to powdery mildew by the end of summer, and “voracious” - requires constant feeding, but it is important not to overfeed so that flowering does not stop.
Watering
The question of watering, perhaps the most difficult in the care of the plant. Watering is necessary so that the soil was constantly wetand, on the other hand, overwetting, even the slightest, can get out sideways. 
Partly with this problem drained soil will help to cope, however, it will only delay moisture, but will not. Therefore, it is extremely important to constantly control the issue of moisture, especially if the summer is dry. Argirantemum may not forgive such an error.
Important! Plants in containers are very easy to pour. Florists recommend looking at the top layer of soil: drying for 2 centimeters indicates the need for watering.
Top dressing
Argirantemum blooms rather violently, a huge number of inflorescences and peduncles is produced, but even the most nutritious soil is not able to provide the plant with the necessary amount of nutrition.
Some plants bloom so plentifully that they exhaust themselves and die.
Important! Fertilizers silver flowers are vital.
Flowers growing in the soil, will be satisfied with 2-3 fertilizer events for the entire season. Those plants that are constrained by the volume of the container, it is better to feed systematically - once a week. This will give them a resource for long and abundant flowering, and will provide health for the entire season. 
Fertilizers should be applied at the bud stage.
Did you know? With an excess amount of organic matter, argirantemum will begin to gain green mass and “fatten” instead of blooming.
Pruning
For better flowering desirable get rid of fading buds and drying leaves. If you do not do this, the flowering will not stop; its duration will simply decrease.
Timely removal of dying fragments will ensure the longest possible flowering of the plant.
Before the onset of cold weather, argirantemum fades, throwing off flower stalks and leaves, after which it should be completely destroyed along with the root system.
In the process of growth, the plant can be formed to its own taste and desire by pinching shoots, constructing, for example, a compact lush crown. 
The argirantemum, dug out in the autumn and overwintering in a cold room in spring, is cut off before the growth of new leaves, leaving 2-2.5 cm from last year’s branches.
Important! The more radical the pruning, the more compact the crown will form, the more abundant the Parisian daisy will bloom.
Diseases and pests: prevention and treatment
Few pests will ferment on the tropical plant argirantemum, however, it will be useful to periodically treat it with insecticides so that it is disreputable.
A really dangerous disease is powdery mildew, which affects the silver flower closer to autumn. If the disease is fixed, the plant is subject to immediate destruction, so as not to infect other inhabitants of the garden. Prevention of this scourge is processing fungicidal drugs and regular pruning.
Other possible problems in the care of the flower:
- the leaves turned red - the plant is cold, the temperature in the room where it is kept should not fall below 10 ° C;
- yellowed leaves - overflow: in the winter it is necessary to water very moderately, after some drying of the soil in the container;
- white leaves on the leaves - miners settled, or rather, their caterpillars, the leaves are removed, the flower is treated with insecticide.
Did you know? The word "miner", applied to the caterpillars of butterflies, does not come from the verb "mine", but from the English word "miner" - a miner, a miner.
Annual or perennial
Let's see the one-year or the perennial is the shrubby argirantemum. Everywhere they write that it is a perennial plant that we grow as an annual. This happens because the tropics are the birthplace of the flower, in natural conditions it is undoubtedly a perennial, it blooms profusely throughout the year. 
But in a climate where frosts come in winter, the gentle inhabitant of the Canary Islands freezes in open ground.
The case can be helped if you dig up the plant for the winter and bring it into a room that does not freeze through. They do that with pottery pets, they don't always want to mess around with soil pets. Moderately watered, contain the plant at 15 ° C until spring and are planted in the ground.
Since it needs to be planted every year again, argirantemum is considered to be an annual for us.
Breeding methods
Since this "sissy" will not suffer even a weak frost, sowing it before winter makes no sense. The plant is propagated by cuttings and seeds, growing seedlings from them.
Cuttings
The most optimal method of reproduction argirantemuma. It allows the plant to form a lush bush in a much shorter time than a seedling.
Cuttings are cut in spring, closer to summer, keeping uterine plants until next year in a bright, cool place: after that, you can cut the best quality cuttings that will root safely. 
It should remove the leaves from the bottom of the cutting, cut off its top and put in the water. You can speed up the process of the appearance of roots, using special tools.
Grow in temporary containers, planting cuttings in the soil mixture.
Important! Optimally cut cuttings in April.
The method of grafting is good because it allows you to save varietal characteristics of the plant.
Seeds
In mid-March, seeds are sown under film or glass. As they grow, young plants dive into temporary containers, sprinkling moderately and filling them with special lamps. As soon as it becomes possible to transplant them into open ground, do not hesitate - the plants need the most natural conditions for themselves. The landing is usually done from mid-May, in some cases you have to wait until the beginning of June.
Argyranthemum is a delightfully beautiful plant, not as capricious as it might seem. If you choose the right conditions for it and provide care, which is not anything supernatural, the flower will delight you throughout the summer season.
