Mexican fleabane
Erigeron karvinskianus · Asteraceae
A haze of tiny daisies that open white and fade to pink, on thread-thin stems, from late spring until frost.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid October
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Mexican fleabane
The planner designed this bed around Mexican fleabane when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why Mexican fleabane stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mexican fleabane × 11, white
- 2 Sea thrift × 5, pink
- 3 Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' × 4, tan
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Blue allium × 12, blue
- 7 Schubert's allium × 5, pink
Why this plant
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 10 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 71% of the edge.
- 11 plants in 3 runs (5, 3 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for 22 weeks. From late May to mid October.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 24 of the 24 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Cool colours (pink and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and white and tan to calm things between them. The longest in flower is Mexican fleabane: 22 weeks, from late May to mid October.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Mexican fleabane spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Mexican fleabane goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The daisy that softens the steps and walls of every great English garden. It seeds into the smallest crack and flowers for six months. Where winters are mild it seeds too well.
- Steps, walls and paving cracks
- Softening hard edges
- Containers
What to plant with Mexican fleabane
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Red valerian: in flower together for 15 weeks, from late May; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': in flower together for six weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Creeping thyme: in flower together for six weeks, from early June; low enough (3 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about Mexican fleabane
Does Mexican fleabane need sun or shade?
Mexican fleabane grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does Mexican fleabane grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Mexican fleabane flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid October. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid October |
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Late April to mid October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Mexican fleabane be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Mexican fleabane plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 11 in three groups.
Is there a native plant like Mexican fleabane?
Mexican fleabane is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Heath aster 'Snow Flurry': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in shorter, flowers mid September to mid October.
- Seaside daisy: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to late August, lavender, not white.
- Rock cress: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in narrower, flowers mid April to early May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will Mexican fleabane spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is high. Self-seeds very freely into walls, paving and gravel, and is listed as invasive in parts of California, Hawaii and the Pacific. Shear it after flowering in mild climates.
What flowers after Mexican fleabane?
Mexican fleabane is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does Mexican fleabane look like in winter?
Mexican fleabane holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Erigeron
- Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' Erigeron pulchellus 'Lynnhaven Carpet'
- Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May · June · July · August · September · October
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid October; daisies; white, pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.