How to Grow Ammobium Plants in your Garden

Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Winged Everlasting

Members of the Ammobium genus are native to Australia. Perhaps the best known species is Ammobium alatum, which is commonly known as the Winged Everlasting and is named after its winged stems.

As a member of the Aster family, the flowers bloom in the summer and consist white ray florets with a central disc of yellow or orange. The foliage is silvery in colour.

It makes a nice plant to grow in a wildlife garden as it can help to attract butterflies, hoverflies, and bees. That said it is more often grown for its use as a dried flower and for floral arrangements.

It also makes an attractive rockery plant and looks great when planted in mass.

Ammobium
Ammobium alatum photograph by Bárbol.

Like Winged Everlasting, the Yass Daisy (Ammobium craspedioides) has basal rosette leaves. These are spoon shaped and are about 5 inches (12.5 cm) in length. The stems have narrow wings along their edges. Flower heads are button shaped and solitary atop stems that reach about 2 feet (60 cm) in height.

In its native Australia it is often found growing besides Eucalypts plants. The Yass Daisy is naturally found in forests; and enjoys both moist and dry soils.

Description of Winged everlasting

The common names for the Hardy perennial Ammobium include Winged everlasting. They typically bloom in the summer to early autumn.

Ammobium are fairly large plants that can grow from 60 to 150 cm in height. They have white flowers with a yellow/orange center, and makes an ideal plant for growing in borders.

Quick Growing and Care Guide

Scientific Name: Ammobium alatum; Ammobium craspedioides
Common Name (s): Winged Everlasting, Yass Daisy, Everlasting Daisy
Growing Zone (USA / UK Hardiness): 9 to 10 as a perennial; often grown as an annual to zone 4 / UK H2

Plant Details

Life Cycle / Plant Type: Perennial, Half hardy Annual in cooler regions
Plant Height: 1.5 to 5 feet (45 to 150 cm)
Plant Spread: 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm)
Blooms: Summer
Flower Details: Showy. Daisy-like. Silvery-white or White Rays. Yellow or orange Disc florets. Tiny. Masses. Papery bracts.
Leaf Foliages: Basel Rosette. Silvery. Winged Stems.
Fruit: One seeded achenes.

Growing Conditions

Best Light Conditions: Full Sunlight or partial shade
Suitable Soil Types: Well drained. for best results. Fertile soils for best results but will grow fine in Sandy loam, clays. and poor soils.
Suitable Soil pH: 6 to 7.
Soil Soil Moisture: Dry.
Sowing, planting, and Propagation:
Sow Outside: Surface or 1/16th inch (2 mm). Early spring or Autumn.
Sow indoors: seven weeks in advance. Seeds sprout from one to three weeks. Germination temperature: 60 to 65°F (15 to 18°C). Transplant in the Middle of Spring. Space at 10 to 16 inches (25 to 40 cm).
Care: Water during prolonged dry periods. Liquid feed every coupl of weeks. Do not let soil get over-wet.

Further Information

Best used for: Flower arrangements, Borders, Low maintenacne Garden.
Miscellaneous: Makes a great dried soil (cut flowers once half opened). Attracts Butterflies such as the Australian Painted Lady. Yass Daisy is resistant to grazing.

Family: Asteraceae (Compositae) (Aster and Daisy Family); Closely related species and genera include: Gazania; Achillea millefolium; and China Aster; Silver Carpet.
Further Reading and References used for this Ammobium plant genus growing guide: Wikipedia; Yass Daisy - profile

How to Grow Winged everlasting

It is best to sow Winged everlasting on the soil surface then sprinkle with soil, with a spacing of 25 to 40 cm in the early spring or autumn.

Ammobium prefers full sunlight. The soil should be well drained. Ammobium requires between 10 days and 20 days to germinate, when growing indoors it is best to start seeds off 6 to 7 weeks before planting out in mid-spring, they germinate best at a temperature of 15 degrees centigrade.

Caring for Ammobium in the Garden

Winged everlasting require watering in the driest periods of summer.