Crinkle Crinkle Little Flower
Paper daisies are everlasting
Paper Daisies are one of those flowers my customers think are artificial. I wouldn't dare display anything ersatz in my shop. But, I get it. They fall into the same category as other everlastings for me like ammobium or gobstoppers. They don't look or feel natural. They seem constructed rather than grown. They're rigid not like a flower. They don't decay hence their nickname - everlasting. Fresh or dried, just-picked or seasons-old they always look the same. It's as if they injected The Substance.
Seed companies market paper daisies as Pierrot White and Pierrot Red. I can see it. The bloom is diminutive. Its center disk florets resemble the fuzzy buttons on the front of a traditional Pierrot costume. If it was a much bigger flower, you could cut out the center and wear the bracts as a ruff just like Pierrot. The personality of the flower, however, is far from that of the melancholic mime.
Paper daisies are light and happy. They are nothing like a horror movie or sad clown show. The white variety is pure contrast. The red variety bursts with color. Their petals do feel like paper and make a crinkly sound when you run your finger across them. Don't worry about damaging them. They're hardy. There's no other flower like them… except strawflower.
Strawflowers have a very similar appearance and the same unique stiff bracts as paper daisies. They're both also native to Australia. Crikey! Though they are related, and often lumped together, these are different flowers.
Strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum) tend to have a wider range of colors from soft pastels to vibrant oranges and hot pinks. They also grow taller, bushier and more upright. Paper daisies (Rhodanthe) typically have smaller blooms, thinner stems and a more delicate, airy structure. Their bracts are also usually thinner and longer. Both dry beautifully and have a place, but I prefer strawflowers in dried designs for their bold colors and sturdier form.
If you’ve struggled to grow paper daisies, you’re not alone. One of my FlowerMore members, Alex, shared that she had terrible germination. The problem is her heavy clay soil. I get mine from Dani Winters who grows them in her naturally sandy soil on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She says "they're a super fun little accent flower that not many people have seen before." I guess that's why my customers question if they're real.
Paper daisies are worth exploring if you're a grower or designer. They’re special, versatile and long-lasting. I just thought of an idea for an arrangement - paper daisies paired with columbine and yellow roses. It's a deep reference.