Growing Xeranthemum (Immortelle): A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Xeranthemum, also called immortelle or paper flower, is a papery-petaled daisy relative that holds its color remarkably well once dried, which is the entire reason it’s grown.
A flexible start
Transplanting is recommended, sowing into cell trays 5 to 8 weeks before planting out and pressing the seed in or covering it lightly, since light aids germination. Direct-seeding after frost danger passes also works, sown 2 to 6 inches apart and kept moist until it comes up, then thinned to 6 to 12 inches. Germination takes 7 to 14 days at 65-75°F.
Harvest fully open, not half open
Unlike ammobium and a lot of other everlastings, xeranthemum is harvested once flowers are fully open and their color is still bright, not while they’re still half closed. The papery texture doesn’t change much after cutting the way a softer petal would, so there’s less benefit to picking early.
Xeranthemum has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for xeranthemum for how it’s tracked. At 4 plants per square foot, it fits well into a dedicated dried-flower row in the Garden Designer, alongside ammobium and other everlastings.
Source: Xeranthemum: Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Xeranthemum (Immortelle) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 2-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Xeranthemum (Immortelle) tolerates either.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Xeranthemum (Immortelle) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 4 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1.5-2 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Straight-species xeranthemum (Xeranthemum annuum): Johnny's Selected Seeds sells this species in a double-flowered mix; the growing requirements are the same regardless of the flower form, so the species itself covers what matters for care. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy xeranthemum seeds
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing xeranthemum (immortelle)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Xeranthemum (Immortelle): A papery-petaled daisy relative that holds its color remarkably well once dried, harvested fully open rather than half open like most everlastings.
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