Pronounciation: Ar-gy-ran-THE-mum fru-TES-cens

Hardiness zones
Sunset All (depending on use)
USDA All (depending on use)

Landscape Use: Yellow marguerite daisy is used in Phoenix as an floral accent in all types of landscape borders and flower gardens of mesic landscape settings, patio cantainer plant, residential front entry borders, public and park flower gardens.

Form & Character: Mounding, globose and rounded, vibrant, intensely colofrul, beautiful, old fashioned.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, short-lived, herbaceous perennial grown as an annual or biennial in Phoenix. Moderate to fast growth rate to 2- to 3-feet tall with a spread of up to 4-feet wide, strongly branched.

Foliage/Texture: Leaves mostly alternate, medium green, oval-lanceolate, pinntified, to 2- to 3-inches long; medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Golden yellow perfect ray (daisy) flower, petals yellow in a complete array surrounding a slightly darker golden yellow eye, individual flowers to 2-inches wide on a green peduncle, 4- to 6-inches long, aromatic; fruits a brown wind dispersed achene, insignificant.

Seasonal Color: Strikingly intense and profuse display of Yellow derived from its flowers throughout the cool season in Phoenix (November to early May).

Temperature: Tolerant of desert cold, but not desert heat above 100^oF.

Light: Full sun to partial or filtered shade.

Soil: Grows in most any soil type provided it is well drained. Plant performance though is highly amplified (growth and flowering) by additions of fertilizers and organic soil amendments to Phoenix garden soils.

Watering: Regular and very frequent irrigations in desert areas.

Pruning: None in Phoenix because it is cultured as a cool season annual. In Mediterranean climates of southern California where it is grown as a perennial plant, remove up to 2/3rds of the biomass in either fall or winter to rejuvenate plant vigor.

Propagation: Softwood cutting easiest, seed (but remember, this plant is current trademarked).

Disease and pests: None

Additional comments: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Golden Butterfly' is a Proven Winners trademarked version of the Butterfly Marguerite Daisy. 'Golden Butterfly' is a dependable, high quality performer in Phoenix landscape gardens when one is desiring a beacon of golden yellow color to spring forth out of their mesic garden design during the winter and spring seasons.

Proven Winners has also released a trademarked white-flowering cultivar called 'Pure White Butterfly'. And for you marguerite daisy affectionados, there is also a pink flowering cultivar call 'Comet Pink'.