Germinating Daisies

Preparing the Garden

• Find a good site for your daisy seeds. They enjoy full sun to part shade and like a well-draining fertile soil. Daisies do well in wildflower beds with blooms including columbine, coreopsis and aster, or when planted with spring-flowering bulbs, pansies or violets. Prepare the garden bed for planting by turning over the soil with a spade to loosen it and remove rocks and weeds. Rake the soil to remove peaks and fill in dips, using a landscape rake.

Sowing Seeds

• Scatter daisy seeds on the ground to sow. Colorado State University Extension recommends combining one part seed with six parts of sand, then spreading this mixture over the prepared garden bed. This ensures an even distribution of the seed. Cover the seeds lightly with soil, about one-sixteenth inch. Gently press the soil and seeds into the earth. Water the soil to keep it moist and maintain a moist soil, if planting in the spring. For fall-planted seeds, withhold water since you want the seeds to rest until spring.

Time Frame

• Daisies germinate in warm soil, where temperatures reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Accordingly, sow daisy seeds either in the spring when temperatures warm or in the fall, before winter frosts. Seeds sown in the fall will remain in the soil all winter, and then germinate well thanks to the snow and winter chill. Do not sow daisies in the summer, since they will not have time to grow, and can suffer from fall frost injury.

Considerations

• Some daisies are considered invasive weeds, due to their nature to spread. For example, the single form of English daisy has invaded the Northwest, Northeast and Southern states. The double form of that same flower is not considered invasive. If you're concerned about daisies overtaking your garden, sow the seeds in containers. This keeps the daisy's spreading growth habit in check.