The paper button looks great - both as a flowering plant and as a dried flower. We'll show you how easy it is to grow this amazing plant.
Summer in the garden is accompanied by various flowering plants. The beauty of the paper button (Ammobium alatum) can also be captured beyond that, because the daisy family is one of the most beautiful dried flowers. The compact growing plants can easily be cultivated on the balcony or patio and should be pruned shortly before they bloom so that the flowers can be used in decorative arrangements and bouquets even in the cold season. In the following we explain what you need to consider when planting the paper button.
Short description of plants
The paper button comes from Australia. There the sand immortelle grow perennial as small perennials and also occur wild. In our latitudes, the plant is an annual and not hardy. The paper button grows about half a meter in height. Characteristic are the felty hairy stems and leaves. The stems grow out of a loose rosette. Small flower heads appear at the end of the stalks in early summer and are composed of yellow tubular florets and white ray florets. The tubular flowers turn black over the summer. The flowering period extends into September.
» Tip: The Grandiflorum variety has large yellow flower heads.
In 1822 the paper button was introduced to England from its native New South Wales. A little later, the plant was also cultivated in Germany.
Suitable location
The paper buttonhead thrives in a sunny to partially shaded spot. The blazing midday sun should be avoided. Four to five hours of sunlight per day are conducive to he althy growth and plentiful flowering.
If you put the paper button in a densely planted flower bed, you will not be able to enjoy the beauty of the plant, because the paper button will not come into its own there. The rock garden, on the other hand, is an ideal location. Here the small tuffs come into their own and attract attention.
» Tip: InThe plant looks particularly attractive in combination with small ornamental grasses.
Matching location in keywords:
- light
- warm
- sunny to semi-shady
- Unique position in the rock garden
- in combination with ornamental grasses
Ideal substrate
The paper button is not very demanding with regard to the substrate. Normal garden soil is perfectly adequate. The substrate should be rather dry. The garden soil can be mixed with sand. This makes the soil looser, which accommodates the paper button. Short dry phases are tolerated better than soil that is too wet and too dense. The plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the irrigation water can drain off well and does not accumulate in the ground and attack the roots of the plant. This can cause the paper button to die.
Ideal substrate in keywords:
- dry
- loose
- sandy
- nutrient poor
Planting paper buttons - step by step
- Sow seeds under glass
- Cover seeds lightly with soil
- Wait for germination
- Place young plants outdoors
The sowing of the paper button should already take place in March or April. If the plants are brought forward indoors, they will develop better, grow vigorously and flower earlier. Choose a shallow planter and fill it with potting soil. The seeds are evenly distributed over the surface and only lightly covered with soil. The planter is placed bright and warm. The temperature should be around 18 degrees.
If no more frosts are to be expected, the young plants can move to their outdoor location. The planting distance should be 20 to 30 centimeters so that each plant can develop well separately from each other.
Alternatively, it can also be sown directly outdoors. This should be done in May at the earliest, as the plants do not tolerate frost. The seeds need loose soil. Soil that is too heavy should first be loosened up and made more permeable with sand. After germination, the seedlings are isolated and only the strongest young plants remain in the bed.
Summary
| Care Measure | Explanation |
| Casting | Watering is moderate. A dry soil is tolerated better than waterlogging. If the plant is kept in a bucket, it needs regular watering. It's on onegood permeability of the planter. |
| Fertilize | To promote flowering, it is advisable to give liquid fertilizer. Over-fertilization should be avoided. |
| Cut | The paper button does not need to be cut. |
| Wintering | The plant is an annual and is disposed of in autumn. Hibernation is not necessary. In Australia alone, the plants are perennial. |
» Tip: If you want to use the paper button as a dried flower, you must cut it before the flowers are fully open.