Spreading Fleabane

Name: Spreading Fleabane
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Erigeron divergens

A prolific Southwestern native that scatters tiny daisy-like flowers in white, pink, purple, and red across the landscape.

A cool-season native annual/short-lived perennial in USDA zones 9-11; sow in fall for spring bloom in the low desert, where it reseeds to persist year to year.

AMWUA Notes

A low-water native wildflower that reseeds itself and feeds small pollinators across informal meadow plantings.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Water every 1-2 weeks during active growth and bloom; this native tolerates dry spells but flowers most freely with modest moisture.

✂️Pruning

Little pruning needed — a light shearing when bloom fades tidies it and can encourage a second flush; leave some seed heads to reseed.

🌱Fertilizing

None needed; it thrives in lean native soil.

🛡️Pests

Essentially pest-free.

☀️Seasonal Notes

A short-lived native that behaves as a cool-season annual or biennial; sow in fall for spring-into-summer bloom, and let it reseed to naturalize.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Lean, well-drained sandy or gravelly native soils; tolerant of poor, rocky ground.

💧Drainage

Needs well-drained soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.

🌰Propagation

Seed; sow in fall (cool-season) and let it reseed to naturalize.

📐Spacing

2 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Minimal; short-lived and shallow-rooted, it renews by reseeding.

Placement Tips

•Scatter through a wildflower meadow where its low, spreading mounds knit the planting together.
•Let it reseed freely for a naturalized, self-sustaining drift of tiny daisies.
•Combine with taller natives that rise above its spreading habit.
•Full sun; a low-key but reliable pollinator plant for informal desert plantings.