Why have my Osteospermum Whirligig petals changed shape?

United Kingdom

I recently bought 3 Osteospermum Whirligig plants in pots as I loved their unusual spoon shaped petals. However almost as soon as I planted them into a flower bed the new flowers that are coming out are the normal daisy shaped petals. Can anyone tell me why the petals have changed from one shape to another on the same plant?

On plant Osteospermum

30 Jun, 2009

Answers

Bamboo

It's just reverting to the original - it's naughty of the breeders to put plants on the market which are bred to be different, and then somehow the characteristics of the new plant don't stick and it reverts. Roses are often affected - they're sold as one particular colour, and within 2 years, they're not that colour at all. You could return them to the garden centre, if that's where you got them, and make a complaint.

30 Jun, 2009

Usernut

I have the same kind (got 3 as well)
when the flowers open some of them are as you describe and stay like that for a few days then turn spoon shaped as normal others are spoon shaped straight away.
At first i thought the flowers were dying but each one turned the normal shape within a few days at most.

30 Jun, 2009

Charlie_06000

Thank you both. It seems I was a bit premature in panicking. As you say Usernut, the flowers do seem to be coming out with daisy shaped petals but are then changing to the spoon shaped ones.

Plants are complex things!

6 Jul, 2009

How do I say thanks?

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