Layia platyglossa aka Tidy Tips

Layia platyglossa is a wildflower called coastal tidy tips. It is an annual, so it lives for one year. It belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae. Kew gives its native range as California to northern Baja California, Mexico. Chicago Botanic Garden also places it in Utah and Arizona grasslands. The sources thus differ on the bounds of its range. Kew says it grows in a subtropical climate. The RHS says it is not native to Britain or Ireland.

The plant forms a round mound of divided leaves. Chicago Botanic Garden lists its size as 12–16 inches. That is 1–1.3 feet [0.3–0.4 metres]. Its low shape suits the front of a planting. A dense mass of flowers covers the leafy mound. Each bloom looks like a daisy, with yellow rays. The rays have white tips that stand out against the yellow. The cited profile says the leaves have a divided shape. It gives no more facts about stems or fruit.

Chicago Botanic Garden gives the bloom season as May through October. This spans late spring, summer, and part of autumn. Local climate may change when it blooms in gardens. This may differ from when it blooms in the wild. The same source names it among the first annuals to bloom in its native home. Its long bloom season suits beds that change with the seasons. Butterflies visit the blooms and bring wildlife to the display. The evidence does not name which kinds of butterflies visit.

Grow coastal tidy tips in full sun. Chicago Botanic Garden says it grows in a wide range of soils. These include clay as well as other soil types. Once settled in, it can cope with drought. The supplied care record also lists a fair amount of water. Its garden water needs thus differ from its ability to cope with dry spells. The garden lists USDA zones 3–10 for this annual. This does not mean it lives through winter across those zones.

Use it in bedding schemes or along garden borders. Chicago Botanic Garden also lists it for use as a specimen plant. This means growing it as a plant to view on its own. Its round shape and two-tone blooms suit these uses. The supplied sources give no facts about pests or diseases. They give no evidence about parts safe to eat. Nor do they cover use as medicine or whether it is toxic.