Dalea candidum

WHITE PRAIRIE CANDLES

No WA

Dalea candidum
WHITE PRAIRIE CANDLES

Dalea candidum lights up the prairies as well as your garden, with fuzzy, snow white flower heads over summer.
As the thousands of tiny flowers open slowly up the stems like icy candle flames.
Not permitted for entry to WA

Fuzzy purple candles of bloom

Dalea candidum is so pretty as well as being such a hardy, valuable contributor to the garden.

Drought & heat resistant, water-wise & nitrogen fixing

Because it is a very drought resistant plant; tolerant of heat and water-wise; while the deep taproots add beneficial nitrogen to your soil; besides being so charmingly pretty.

Long lived hardy perennial

Tough little Dalea candidum will be with you for many years, as it is a hardy perennial plant.
With showy heads during summer, and adorned with dainty clover-like foliage all year.

Beloved by bees then birds

Bees are besotted with the fuzzy candles of blooms over summer because they are so rich in nectar.
Then in autumn the seed heads provide feasts for the finches and other native seed eating birds.
So you can deadhead if you wish to tidy, but you will be spoiling the bird’s fun.

Thrives in heat, dry & frost once established

Tough little Dalea candidum will also persist in the face of hardship, and positively thrives with a minimum of feed and water assistance.
In truth it does best without too much fertilizer or over-watering – then it will flower more profusely and remain compact.

Tolerant of a wide range of soils

Dalea candidum is not fussy about soil type or pH.
It grows happily in a wide range of soils from sandy, through loam, to clay; and in a wide range of pH, from on the acid side to the alkaline side of neutral. It tolerates limestone soils and gravels well. However it deeply resents wet conditions and will depart quickly in a bog.

Tolerates summer humidity and winter frost too

Dalea purpurea is native to grasslands and dense plant communities right across the Prairies of North America –  from the heat of Mexico, through the summer humidity of Texas, to the hard frosts of central Canada.

Blissfully low maintenance plant

Dalea candidum requires little to no work once established, other than perhaps a cut back to the socks at the end of autumn.

Rabbit & Deer resistant

It is rarely if ever troubled by pests and diseases, and even rabbits and deer prefer eating something else.
It may gently self-sow in the garden if happy, but is easy to weed out the offspring if unwanted.
Plant in Full Sun to Part Shade.

Hardy perennial.
Approx. 60cm. High in bloom x 45cm. Wide of pretty clover-like foliage clump.

SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Suitable for beginners and gardening with kids.

Sow seeds of Dalea candidum at any time of year indoors when suitable temperatures can be provided / or scatter directly in the garden in spring & early summer.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Now cover the seeds to a depth of approx. 6mm.

Then stand the sown punnet in a shallow water bath and allow the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

And place in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight).
You can use a temperature controlled heat mat if you have one.
But it is not essential as these seeds are willing germinators.

Temperatures of 18-22°C are ideal for rapid and optimum germination.

Then continue to keep the sown punnet moist by misting from a spray water-bottle.
Covering the punnet with a clear plastic cover or plastic bag will also help to maintain the necessary consistent, even moisture.

Seedlings emerge in approx. 10-12 days.

Seed Count: 30 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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