The White is a tender, semishrubby plant which is much used for summer borders, and container growing. It is a native of the Canary Islands where temperatures seldom drop below 50 degrees. In the colder areas of our country it is widely used as a greenhouse plant for the winter months. Flowers are from one and a half to two and a half inches in diameter. The foliage is bright green with the leaves being divided. It likes full sun and a light, humus-filled soil, plenty of moisture and excellent drainage.
There are several named varieties of this, rapid-growing, many-branched herb. Snow White is a double anemone type with pure white flowers; White Lady and Pink Lady have small button-like flower heads and Silver Leaf has white flowers with gray-green foliage. The common Marguerite, (white marguerite) is available in white, pink- and yellow. These marguerites are seldom listed in flower catalogs but you will find them in four-inch pots and gallon cans in most of local nurseries. They are extremely easy to grow but seldom grown.
The marguerites are quite easy to propagate. Propagation is by cuttings taken from flowerless shoots in August or September. They should be inserted in a rooting medium that will allow for good air and water drainage. I use a medium consisting of two-thirds coarse sand and one-third Canadian peat moss. The medium should be firmly packed in a clay pot and the cuttings inserted in holes, made by a pencil or small stick, snug against the sides of the pot.
I also use a rooting hormone. When the cuttings are in place use the pencil to help firm the medium against the cuttings, spray plants and exposed medium with water and slip the pot into a plastic bag. The top of the bag should be eight to ten inches longer than the pot is tall. Pin the center top together but leave the ends open for air circulation. The plants should form, roots in two to three weeks if they are kept in the kitchen or bathroom.
When rooted, move the cuttings into two-and-a-half inch pots. Move them into five-inch pots and leave them in these pots until the weather warms up, about April, when they can be planted out or into tubs or boxes for garden ornaments. Pinching the new growths back from time to time will make the plants more shapely.
