Native Plants

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Tuesday - March 30, 2010

From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Seasonal Tasks, Wildflowers
Title: Tidying up Copper Canyon Daisies in San Antonio
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We have a small bed with 4 copper canyon daisies. We cut them back in the fall but have not pruned them during growing season; as a result they become a big tangle by September. Should they be pruned and shaped to make a neater bed?

ANSWER:

Tagetes lemmonii, Copper Canyon Daisy, is native to the Southwestern United States, although it is not yet in our Native Plant Database, which is a constant work in progress. This website, Tagetes lemmonii, from Floridata, will give you some information on the plant. We noted that the plant did not seem to bloom as well if it was trimmed during the summer. If it is getting too tangled for you, you might consider dividing the plants now, making more room in that space, and move the divided plants to another location.