Copper canyon daisy cascade

November 22, 2013


A blue norther blew in last night, chasing away yesterday’s 80-degree F high. The glow of the copper canyon daisies (Tagetes lemmonii) out front was just as warm as the temperature yesterday, and I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures. I’m glad I did since it’s too shivery cold to go out today.


Butterflies and bees were enjoying the flowers too.


I wonder if they’re safely hunkered down today.


This is such a carefree garden bed, and most of these plants look good year-round, especially gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida), ‘Color Guard’ yucca, and spineless prickly pear (Opuntia). The copper canyon daisies are ending the season in a golden cascade, showing how much they appreciated the late-season rains. What a show!

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

15 responses to “Copper canyon daisy cascade”

  1. Joanne says:

    What a change in weather…..love the pics. Makes a cold, wet day a little sunnier. Thanks

    I’m happy to supply a little virtual sunshine, Joanne. 🙂 —Pam

  2. Shirley says:

    Amazing cascade from the Copper Canyon Daisy. After seeing this I need to find a good spot for it. I lost most of them a couple of years ago in the drought. They really come into their own in late fall.

    Plus its leaves smell so good, Shirley, or at least I think so. My daughter disagrees. So do the deer. —Pam

  3. Scott Weber says:

    My first thought was that they looked like Marigolds…then I saw they were, indeed, Tagetes! Love them…I’ve always had a soft spot for single Marigolds…there is something so simple and charming about them 🙂

    Aren’t they though? I really love the fragrance of the foliage too, Scott. I wish I could share it with you. Where’s the Smell-o-Vision when you need it? —Pam

  4. peter schaar says:

    Great show in a great bed! Nice going, Pam. We have the same weather change here in Dallas, and my hierbanis (aka Mexican mint marigold) is putting on a similar show. The pollinators love it too. Keep up the great work.

    My Mex mint marigold was a bust this year. So glad you’re getting a good show! —Pam

  5. Your yellows are to die for – what a happy welcome to your visitors!

    They’re a bit bedraggled in the rain today, Heather, but they sure looked great yesterday. Thanks for stopping by. —Pam

  6. Ally says:

    I bet the wind is wreaking havoc on everything in the garden, but I’m not going out to check. Brrrr…

    Is it windy too, Ally? It’s pouring rain here again, and chilly. So different from yesterday! —Pam

  7. Kris P says:

    I love the Copper Canyon Daisy. I’ve got a dwarf variety but it just doesn’t knock you silly with the sheer exhilaration of gold glory like the full blown version.

    The big one certainly can knock you silly in the fall. Too bad the dwarf doesn’t provide that on a smaller scale. —Pam

  8. Marti says:

    The Copper Canyon Daisy is so pretty. I wish it was native here. But I do see them in my area a lot too and they are always pretty. I really like them with the cactus and yucca.

    Yes, it does look pretty with sculptural plants like those. —Pam

  9. Jeanette says:

    Thank you for the bouquet of golden blossoms. I put some Copper Canyon daisy in for butterflies but the location just does not get enough sun. Yours are lovely! I hope they make it through this cold spell. It is very cold and rainy in the DFW area too. I’m on the fence on the scent.

    Ha — like my family, Jeanette. They’re not so keen on the scent either. —Pam

  10. Diana says:

    The copper canyon daisy looks great there. I’ve had flurries of butterflies and moths everywhere the last few days – maybe they knew winter was on its way.

    I hope they got what they needed before the cold arrived! —Pam

  11. Jenny says:

    This is such a wonderful fall bloomer and you have paired it nicely with the gopher plant. Aren’t we lucky to have such lovely fall bloomers?

    Yes indeed, Jenny! —Pam

  12. Katina says:

    Love your front garden bed!

    Thanks, Katina! —Pam

  13. How cool that you posted about this, Cherry was just talking about this plant in a recent post, that she saw from one of yours! I love that the deer don’t like it!

    Me too, Janet. That’s one of its best features since it’s planted on the deer highway out front. —Pam

  14. I will give this plant a try for my place since it works well for Cherry too — heat AND humidity!

    • Pam/Digging says:

      It’s a great plant, Janet. Just so you know, though, the bad drought year of 2011 caused this plant some misery in Austin. It seems unlikely, however, that you’ll have that issue in S.C. —Pam