Ornamental · Asteraceae
Bidens
Bidens ferulifolia
Set it in full sun and average soil, and bidens fires off golden flowers from spring right up to frost.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
USDA 8–11
10–15 in · 25–38 cm
Overview
Bidens is a low, sprawling cousin in the daisy family, prized for months of nonstop bloom rather than anything on the plate. It pours out of baskets and pots and threads along the front of a border, smothered in small flowers that usually arrive in gold. Gardeners keep coming back to it because it demands so little and delivers so much.
Settle it in and bidens powers through heat and drought, flowering on while pickier plants give up. It grows quick and keeps low, seldom reaching past knee height, so it plugs the gaps and trails over edges instead of reaching skyward. Newer named picks open the color range past gold into white, pink, and two-tone flowers.
At heart it's a tender plant, raised as a warm-season annual in most gardens and set out fresh each spring once the chill releases its grip. Hand it sun and quick-draining ground and it practically runs itself. Trim it back once at midsummer and it bounces back with a new burst of bloom.
Care
The short version: full sun, average well-drained soil, and water that stays steady without turning soggy. Feed the container plants all season, pinch the plant once at midsummer, and it keeps blooming with no deadheading.
Light
Bidens craves full sun, and the more it soaks up the harder it flowers. It will accept a touch of afternoon shade, but drop it into real shade and the plant stretches thin while the bloom fades right along with it.
Water
Let the soil surface dry between drinks instead of staying damp, because soggy roots are the one mistake bidens won't pardon. It rides out heat and drought nicely once established, though pots and baskets dry quick and call for water more often across the summer.
Soil
Plain, well-drained ground covers everything it needs, with no need for anything rich or fancy. A pH running anywhere from 6.0 to 7.0 suits it fine, so most garden soil delivers as long as water keeps moving through.
Temperature
Bidens thrives through warm weather and shrugs off a broad range, from around 36°F to 86°F (2°C to 30°C). A hard frost stops it cold, which is exactly why most gardeners restart it each spring.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity does the trick, with nothing to track or tweak. What counts far more is air moving freely past the plant, since still, packed growth opens the door to mildew and mold.
Feeding
Plants set in the ground seldom ask for feeding, but containers and baskets burn through their food fast. Treat those to a balanced water-soluble feed every two weeks across the growing season and the flowers keep rolling.
Pruning
Bidens flowers on without a scrap of deadheading, so leave the spent blooms in place. Should it sprawl or run leggy by midsummer, shear or pinch it back and it bounces back fuller and packed with fresh flower.
Size & spacing
Plants hug the ground, climbing to roughly 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) tall while reaching 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) across. Give each one space to trail and the planting laces together into a carpet of bloom.
When to plant
Bidens won't stand for frost, so it holds out for warmth. Get seed going indoors in late winter, move plants out once the last frost clears and the soil warms up, and the flowers press on from late spring straight to the first frost of fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: after the last spring frost when soil has warmed
- Harvest: late spring through fall until frost
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–11
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Bidens runs mostly clean, but a handful of pests and molds creep in under the wrong conditions. Most strike the fresh growth or the flowers first. Spot what matches below and jump in early, while a quick fix still does the job.
Dull bronzed leaves with thin webbing in hot spells
Spider mites sweep in when the air turns hot and dry, sucking the leaves until they go stippled and lifeless. Tap a leaf above white paper and watch the tiny dots scatter. Hose the foliage to thin them out, then turn to insecticidal soap or a labeled miticide if they push back.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with water to reduce populations
- Apply insecticidal soap or a labeled miticide if infestation persists
Fuzzy gray mold creeping over the blooms in wet weather
Damp, chilly weather wakes up botrytis, the gray mold that furs over fading blooms and rots the soft tissue underneath. Snap off the affected flowers and leaves and toss them before the mold marches on. Spread the plants out so the leaves dry quickly after a soaking.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected flowers and foliage
- Increase spacing and air circulation to dry foliage
Tiny soft insects swarming the sticky new tips
Those crowds are aphids, and they pile onto the youngest growth where the sap turns sweetest. They drip a tacky film called honeydew as they feed. Knock them off with a sharp burst of water, then chase any stragglers with insecticidal soap.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong stream of water to dislodge aphids
- Apply insecticidal soap to affected growth as needed
A chalky white dusting spreading over the leaves
That powdery layer is powdery mildew, and it takes hold wherever plants pack together in still, stale air. Loosen the planting by thinning and spreading things out, and pull away the most heavily dusted leaves. Bright sun and a steady breeze keep it from returning.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by thinning and spacing plants
- Remove and discard heavily affected foliage
Toxicity
Great news for any home with pets or grazing animals: bidens carries no known toxin. It's absent from the ASPCA list of poisonous plants, so a nibbled leaf shouldn't set off any alarm. It still earns its keep on looks rather than flavor, so there's no reason to invite the snacking.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
The ASPCA toxic plant list leaves bidens off entirely, so a curious cat that crunches a leaf has nothing to dread. Gulping down a heap of any plant can still trigger some drooling or a queasy stomach, so it does no harm to nudge it elsewhere.
Dogs Safe
Dogs can romp around bidens without concern, because it holds no known toxin. A dog that gnaws a stem may end up a bit queasy, the way plant matter can unsettle any belly, but nothing worse follows.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze beside bidens safely. The plant is not poisonous, and nothing on record points to it harming them.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit can nibble bidens without trouble. As with any lush green, skip handing over a sudden big portion, but the plant itself carries nothing harmful.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse near bidens freely, since it holds no toxin that touches grazing animals.
Birds Safe
Bidens does birds no harm, and they often pluck at the faded flower heads for seed. Backyard hens can scratch around it as they please.
People Safe
Bidens is grown for its flowers rather than the kitchen, yet it stays safe to handle and to live alongside. Children can be near it freely, even if it isn't meant for eating.
Varieties
The straight species runs gold, but breeders have pushed bidens into fresh colors and tidier habits. Here are the named picks worth tracking down.
Blazing Fire
Each bloom glows red-orange at its heart and melts to gold along the petal edges, and it proved a steady, uniform performer through the University of Georgia trials.
White Delight
It steps away from the standard yellow with creamy white flowers for a gentler look, a quality that won it a place in the University of Georgia trials.
Pretty in Pink
This pink-flowered pick swaps the usual gold for a softer hue, and it ran through the University of Georgia trials as well.
Mexican Gold Improved
A sharpened version of the classic golden-yellow species, polished and put through the University of Georgia trials for stronger garden performance.
How to propagate
Bidens multiplies with ease, whether the goal is exact copies of a favorite hybrid or a full tray of seedlings to flesh out the beds.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring through summer during active growth · About 2 to 4 weeks to root
Cuttings clone a named hybrid exactly, so the new plant inherits every trait of its parent. Take a soft tip while growth is surging in spring or summer, and roots form in roughly 2 to 4 weeks.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost · Germinates in roughly 1 to 2 weeks at warm temperatures
The species and open-pollinated forms sprout readily from seed, though named hybrids rarely come true. Start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, hold the tray warm, and seedlings push up in about 1 to 2 weeks.
Myths
The ornamental bidens will poison dogs and cats.
Bidens has no place on the ASPCA toxic plant database, and the ornamental Bidens ferulifolia counts as non-toxic to pets. A dog or cat that nips a leaf faces no danger, though there's still no call to let any garden plant become a snack.
Garden bidens runs wild, scattering clinging seeds like the weedy beggarticks.
Wild types earn the beggarticks name from two-pronged seeds that grab onto fur and clothing for a ride. The garden ferulifolia hybrids play it differently: raised as warm-season annuals and frequently bred as low-seeding selections, they stay put rather than overrunning the yard like their weedy relatives.