Euryops plant
Dannette Hunnel
Looking for something bright, cheery, and unique to plant this winter? Try the euryops plant. This non-invasive perennial is often available at The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and many Valley nurseries. The price is about $9 for a 2.5-quart-size plant. Pronounced YOU-ree-ops and meaning “large eye,” the euryops plant is also known as the African bush daisy. Native to Southern Africa, this plant will withstand our winters here in Sun Lakes as well as our summers (yay). A distant relative to the sunflower, this shrub has gray-green leaves, loves full sun, and in our area, comes in the colors of yellow or white. Besides full sun, it likes well-drained, rocky soil.
If pinched and plucked a few weeks after blooming, these cute daisies will continue to come back a few times throughout the winter. They can go dormant, acting as a simple shrub until blooming again in the spring. It’s necessary to prune back heavily every few years in the early spring, or the plant will get woody with long, leggy stems. This shrub-like plant can get two to four feet high and spread about three feet as well. It likes to be watered deeply about every 10 days and doesn’t need a lot of fertilization or soil amendment. Euryops have very little odor, but the bright colors do tend to attract bees and butterflies. It is not an “itchy” plant, so it works well in a walkway or entryway with full sun and is lovely in both desert gardens and rock gardens. If the temps drop below 32 degrees, it’s best to throw a covering over the plant after dark. You can expect to enjoy the euryops plant and it’s delicate daisies for three to four years to come. The bonus: A euryops plant is handy to have as an impromptu small bouquet by clipping at the base of the stems.