Companion Flowers for Marguerite Daisies

Cutting Garden

• Marguerite daisies, members of the aster family, yield flowers 2 to 3 inches wide on stems 10 to 16 inches long. Their vase life is about 10 days. These flowers grow well in a cutting garden with other asters and daisies in a single color scheme or in a rainbow array. Add variety with carnations, yarrow, coneflowers and day lilies. These bouquet companions share tolerance for sunny gardens, but partial shade protects the flowers against wilting summer heat.

Annual Beds

• Design a summer garden with the 2- to 4-foot-high Marguerite daisies as background plants. Their bushy foliage provides a green backdrop from spring to autumn. In rows or in massed groupings, add regional bedding plants such as petunias, candytuft, dianthus and snapdragons. Marguerites tolerate drought but can adapt to gardens with less hardy flowers. Create varied garden textures with geraniums, dahlias, verbena and trailing flower vines. Mix shorter Marguerite cultivars with other plants for visual appeal. These annual-themed summer gardens make way for new designs next year.

Xeriscape

• Xeriscape gardening minimizes water use through careful plant selection. Blend Marguerite daisies with other plants in dry gardens. Give daisies preferential shade and leave full sun exposure to plants like flowering lavender, lantana and cornflower. Sun-loving plants include gazania and blanket flower. Mix in nandina for full season appeal; their leaves change color with the seasons and white flowers turn to red winter berries. These tall shrubs, spaced with the shrubby Marguerites, add height of 2 to 5 feet in low-water landscapes. A good mix of drought-tolerant plants makes a splashy show, proving xeriscape is more than cactus and rocks.

Sun Garden

• Liven up a sunny patch with Marguerites and wildflowers. Wildflower seed mixes, scattered between daisy plants, bloom throughout summer. As one flower, such as California poppy, fades, bluebonnets and other flowers open in mixed succession. The daisies have a small footprint and need little ground room to burst out with tall flower color. Use Marguerites in planters with sun-loving marigolds and zinnias. Use them for height accents in annual and perennial sun-exposed gardens. Marguerites are friendly plants, noninvasive and partner well with existing or new flowering plants.