I had the same question as I bought seeds of both this year. Here is what I found in my research Dimorphotheca aurantiaca is, as its common name implies, a daisy from South Africa. It grows to about a foot high, with coarse aromatic leaves, topped in summer by large daisies in shades of yellow, orange, salmon or white with a brown centre. It used to be included in the genus Osteospermum, and is sometimes referred to by that name. The name Dimorphotheca means that the plant produces two different types of seeds. Osteospermum is a genus belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It used to be part of the genus Dimorphoteca, but only the annual species remain in this genus. The perennials belong to Osteospermum. The genus Osteospermum is also closely related to the small genus Chrysanthemoides, such as C. incana and C. monilifera. Given my Washington DC winters, both of them will be annuals, so I don;t think the name change will make much difference to me.

I went through this same mix-up last winter. By doing lots of research, I realized that Dimorphotheca seems to have flowers in the yellow range only, is annual, and has flat,papery, pale seeds. It seems that Osteospermum has shades in white/blue/purple shades, is perennial, has little brown triangular ridged seeds, and the seeds are quite expensive when compared to Dimorphotheca. For this reason, I am trying my best to stick to the Latin names if I have them, as my friend who owns a seed company has been trying to impress upon me for years! The Dimorphotheca seeds I got in a trade this year have germinated and are doing well. A gardening neighbour had promised to split some of her Osteospermums this spring and share them with me but unfortunately, she passed away suddenly of a stroke on Dec. 26. I will miss her so much this year. Her house has been sold and I hope the new owners don't destroy her garden. She was 3 years into a 5 year project to create a meadow garden and it was coming along so nicely. I'll buy seeds and plant them in her memory. Northerner.

It might just be going through stress, as I've found Osteospermums to be temperamental - some will thrive when replanted; others will simply die away (I've had a couple Proven Winners do that). It doesn't sound like it should need any more of that bug spray, though. I've found that they never seem to be bothered by any critters. Also, since you mentioned that you used houseplant spray, do you have it outside? It would definitely prefer being outdoors. Depending on the weather where you are, they need moderate to regular water, so you don't want to under or over water. One I used to have in a thick clay pot would get water after the top few inches of soil dried out. The roots eventually grew out of the bottom. :) If you haven't already, you might want to give it a bit of fertilizer, as long as fertilizer wasn't already in the soil in which you planted it. Other than that, I'd suggest pinching off the dried (dead) buds, as well as any stems that might have shrivelled up. A picture would be nice, but it's not necessary. :) Brenda

Hi, Not a lot blooming here that is from South Africa. However, one plant is a constant performer on an irregular schedule. Kniphofia rooperi bloomed in December, and January, and July and is putting up another spike now. It has been 100 degrees lately, and the plant is apparently quite happy in a regular flower bed with water every 5-7 days. By contrast the daylilies are looking pretty ragged. It is less than 2 years in the ground and seems intent on becoming a giant mound 2 or 3 feet tall by 5 or 6 feet across, I guess I'll have to trim soon--maybe divide it. It was evergreen last winter, temperatures reach as low as 25-26 F even while it was blooming. It does not set seed, so I presume it is self-sterile. Does anyone know if plants in this genus tend to be self-sterile? Cordially,