Euryops pectinatus is found wild only on the rocky slopes of South Africa's Cape, where lean, fast-draining soil and bright sun suit it perfectly. In the garden it becomes a compact evergreen shrub, 4 to 6 feet tall, smothered for much of the year in bright 2-inch yellow daisies carried above finely divided gray-green foliage. The genus name derives from the Greek for large-eyed, an apt description for flowers that face outward with such directness, and pollinators find them consistently attractive.

Full sun and well-drained, deep soil are the main requirements. It tolerates some shade but flowers less freely. Salt tolerance makes it a strong candidate for coastal plantings in zones 9 and above. The plant is a vigorous grower and responds well to pruning after the main flowering period — cutting back to shape keeps it from becoming woody and open at the base. In climates with mild winters, it rarely stops flowering entirely, which makes it one of the few shrubs that earns its space through every month of the year.