Daisies for Pollinators, Vases and Flower Bed Borders

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Daisies are among the most cheerful and reliable flowers for borders and cut flower beds. 

Annual Marguerite Daisy, Argyranthemum frutescens, has yellow, pink and red flowers. They do their best when nights are 75 degrees F and below so when they fade with summertime heat, shear them back and they will return in the fall.

Annual Painted Daisy, Tanacetum coccineum, grow 2-feet tall in part shade. Remove the faded flowers and they will re-bloom in the fall. Pale pink Eileen May Robinson and James Kelway are easily grown from seed.

Gerbera Daisy, Gerbera jamesonii, are from Africa so they are frost-tender and enjoy summer heat with afternoon protection. Festival and Jaguar Series are multi-colored. Gerberas mature at 10-14 inches, do well in containers with regular fertilizer and water. Experienced gardeners may remember when Gerbera Daisy was called Pyrethrum, Painted or Persian Daisy.

Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum is a garden workhorse that is a cross between native Oxeye Daisy and 3 other wild ones. Shastas thrive with 6 hours of sun, water in any week with less than an inch of rain and no fertilization. They bloom from spring to early summer and return in the fall.

Shasta Daisies are mostly white flowers with a yellow center disc. Cobham Gold and Horace Reed have double flowers; Horace Reed has an incurved center. Single-flowered Snow Lady blooms the first year from seed. Becky grows 3 feet tall and blooms from July to fall.

Sometimes Leucanthemum x superbum are tagged Chrysanthemum, so when buying plants, consider them all. Be sure to check plants’ roots in those pots. Slip the plant out of the container and look for good root development with no soggy mess from over-watering and no root death from inconsistent care.

To plant from seed, loosen the soil 6-inches deep and work in 2-inches of compost. Plant seeds according to package directions and keep the area moist not wet. Thin seedlings to about 1-foot apart. 

Everything’s coming up daisies speaks to their happy addition in landscapes and containers.
 

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