The Japanese flower from Japan—that’s actually what the Latin identify Nipponanthemum nipponicum interprets to in English. I wish to think about the botanists who named this plant had a depraved humorousness, or perhaps they have been simply feeling significantly literal that day.
Japanese Daisy – regionally referred to as Montauk Daisies
Latin identify apart, this week’s plant is new to me—a discovery I made after shifting to coastal Maine. We stay in East Boothbay, only a block from the East Boothbay Normal Retailer. Proper after we moved into our residence in September 2012, we made many morning journeys to the Normal Retailer for breakfast whereas we have been nonetheless unpacking. I vividly keep in mind one in all our first walks to the shop once I seen a plant rising alongside Route 96. It had shiny, darkish inexperienced foliage, and for a second, I assumed it was Pittosporum tobira, a plant I knew from my time additional south. However this shrubby plant, about 3 toes huge and tall, appeared too hardy for Maine’s USDA zone 6 local weather—and that piqued my curiosity.
I snapped an image with my iPhone and confirmed it to my new colleagues at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With out hesitation, they recognized it as a “Montauk daisy.” A number of weeks later, in early October, the identical plant outdoors the Normal Retailer burst into bloom, coated in brilliant white, daisy-like flowers. I used to be struck by how robust and exquisite it was, an ideal plant for an autumn show. I began asking round why extra individuals didn’t use this plant alongside the coast, however most responses have been shrugs. One particular person urged, “Possibly it’s overused round Cape Cod.” Maybe, just like the overdone red-tipped Photinia within the South, Montauk daisies had merely fallen out of vogue in coastal New England.
Designin with nippon daisy
However from a design standpoint, I feel these vegetation are implausible. The massive, rounded, leathery leaves are succulent-like and paired with the crisp, white flowers create a putting distinction that’s each daring and chic. Their late-season blooms are a welcome sight when a lot of the backyard is beginning to fade. Curiously, the Montauk daisy performed a task in horticultural historical past as one of many dad and mom Luther Burbank used to create the well-known Shasta daisy. Burbank, a horticultural legend, first hybridized a number of daisies with out reaching his excellent plant. After choosing promising hybrids, he crossed them with Nipponanthemum nipponicum, and a type of crosses ultimately turned the Shasta daisy.
Whereas Shasta daisies are beautiful, I recall them seeding themselves a bit too enthusiastically once I lived within the South. In distinction, the Montauk daisy has a extra shrub-like type with barely smaller flowers however simply as a lot allure. They’re hardy from USDA zones 5 to 9, tolerant of full solar, and as soon as established, they’ll deal with drought—making them a superb selection for coastal and hard backyard spots alike.
Once you see a Montauk daisy, what are your preliminary ideas? Do you assume they deserve a spot again within the highlight, or are they greatest left as a nostalgic nod to gardens previous? For me, they’re a reminder that generally essentially the most ignored vegetation are those that shock us essentially the most—similar to discovering just a little piece of horticultural historical past rising beside a roadside normal retailer.
– Rodney
Photographs: Land Views, A Backyard For All
Extra Robust and Cheery vegetation (some from japan):