Senecio Cruentus (Cineraria)

Temperature:
45-50 F

Bright colored free-blooming pot plants with daisylike blossoms in pink, rose, blue to dark purple shades.

Sow seeds in June for January bloom; in September for spring flowers. Sow on moist sphagnum and take care that it does not dry out during germination. Transplant seedlings to flats, then to 2 1/2- or 3-inch pots, in light soil or a mix of 3 parts soil and 1 part well-rotted manure. Shift to 5-inch pots, where plants will bloom about 4 weeks after they become potbound. Fertilize biweekly.

Through summer, keep plants out of direct sun and water frequently to prevent wilting. Discard plants when flowering is finished.

Recommended:

Palette, a strain of dwarf plants with 3-inch blossoms in brilliant and delicate colors; Hansa, small foliage, large early-blooming scarlet, red, crimson, pink, and blue flowers.