Tithonia speciosa

Plant of the month: January

Tithonia speciosa
Tithonia speciosa Tithonia speciosa

Grass Garden – trials circle

Usually grown as an annual this Tithonia makes a hearty space filling plant with branching stems clad in large, often lobed, leaves reaching around 1.5m in height. It produces single, but dramatic looking, flowers during late summer, going on into autumn. In this variety the flowers are bright red-orange solid- petalled daisies with intense clusters of gold stamens at their centre. It does well in a sunny sheltered spot in fertile soil but may require support as it can be somewhat lax. It requires well drained soil but watering will be required if the weather is too dry for any length of time.