Asteraceae; native to Southern U.S., Mexico, and Guatemala.

Germination: For best results, sow indoors, covering the seed and maintaining a temperature of 68-70° F. Or sow outdoors, in spring, covering the seed. Germination takes 5-10 days; plants bloom three months from sowing.

Growth: In spring, when danger of frost is past, space seedlings 12 inches apart in full sun in well-drained garden soil. Keep the soil evenly moist and feed plants moderately. Best in 70-75° F. days, 60° F nights; tolerates deer, drought, exposure, low fertility, wind and a wide range of soil conditions.

Appearance and Use: Tickseed is an easy-to-grow, maintenance-free annual for borders, baskets, naturalized areas, containers, beds, or combination plantings. Mounded, bushy plants, sometimes trailing, reach 9-36 inches tall and 16-18 inches wide. From June till frost, daisy-like 1 inch blooms of golden yellow are borne in masses of solitary or clustered flowers. Bright green, 3 inch-long foliage is deeply cut, lacy, and fern-like.