Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion' (Santa Barbara Daisy)

Santa Barbara Daisy is a cloud of tiny flowers from late spring through fall, with each bloom opening white and aging through pink to a soft rosy red so that the plant carries all three colors at once. The 'Profusion' selection is particularly floriferous, covering itself in blossoms to the point where the ferny foliage underneath almost disappears entirely. It forms a soft, spreading mound and works equally well in a container, trailing over a wall, or tucked into a border where you want something airy and long-blooming without a lot of intervention.

On the Oregon coast, Erigeron karvinskianus is especially at home. It tolerates cool summers and coastal winds without complaint and blooms through conditions that stall out more tender plants. The 'Profusion' name is earned: deadheading is rarely necessary because the plant manages its own flower cycle gracefully. It self-seeds gently, which means established plants will slowly naturalize and fill gaps in gravel paths or dry-stacked walls where little else would survive. Bees and small butterflies visit the flowers regularly through the season.