Sweet Marguerite

Whenever I enter a bookstore that has a magazine section an uncontrollable force pulls me directly to the gardening magazines.  Most of them are alluring enough to take to a nearby chair and flip through.  But I have two favorites that beg to go home with me, Garden Gate and Fine Gardening.  A regular feature I enjoy in Fine Gardening is "Plant This, Not That." It pictures several popular, often used (or over-used) flowers that for one reason or another may fall into disfavor.  And then it pictures a similar plant that the gardener might find is a good substitute.  I'm playing a little bit of that game  in this posting. 

 I have had Coreoposis Grandiflora in my garden for a long time. There is a lot to be said for it.  It is reliable and showy. It re-seeds easily yet can be pulled out just as easily if it become a bit much.  However, I find the shade of gold a bit strong for my liking.  It is also a tedious dead-header.  You can see in the lower left where I need to snip-snip.  In a week this plant could have thirty or forty such has-been knobs. And double, triple, quadruple that for multiple plants.  The plant becomes unsightly and improving its appearance tests my dead-heading patience.  So, what to do? (Because I DO like a smattering of yellow here and there.)

I wanted something that blossomed at the same time, late June, but a little softer in color.  Sister to the rescue!  Last year I admired this flower in her garden and she generously gifted me with two bunches.  The bunny enjoyed one of them to its ultimate destruction, but the other is beginning to flourish.  It is Marguerite Daisy, aka Argyranthemum.  With no offense to Coreopsis, I REALLY LOVE this sweet little blossom.  Isn't it wonderful to find a flower  you really love??  What have you found lately?