Three Stages of a Daisy

Seed

• Daisy seed is tiny and borne on the flower heads of each flower which contain hundreds of tiny seeds. The seeds naturally spread as the flower heads mature and turn brown in the heat of mid-summer. Removing flowers before they naturally dry on the plant to use as cut flowers or to tidy up the plant will not allow the seeds to mature and they will not germinate. After the flowers dry on the stem, you can easily collect the flowers from the center of the dried flower, and cut the dried black stem near the clump of leaves. Spread the seeds by hand over bare garden soil anytime before the first frost of the winter season. Lightly cover them with 1/4 inch of soil so they do not wash away. Seeds planted before fall will bloom the following spring. Plants from seeds planted in spring will not bloom until the following spring as the plant is a perennial that needs cool weather to stimulate the bloom cycle.

Growth

• The seed germinates when conditions are favorable, most likely when the soil cools and damp winter weather sets in. The daisy plant will remain spindly, establishing an extensive root system, until early spring when growth accelerates, producing broad bright-green leaves in a thick clump 1 to 2 feet across and over a foot tall by late spring. The plants form a thick mat that you can separate in the fall to create new plants or to give away.

Flower

• The Shasta daisy flowers in late spring to early summer. The flower stalks appear first and the flower buds appear on the end with one flower per stalk. The flowers mature in two to three weeks and open flat with up to 50 white petals surrounding the golden pollen-covered center. The flowers last for a week or more before declining, but may become damaged by the numerous insect pests attracted to the daisy flower.

Care of Daisies

• Plant daisies in full sun if weekly regular irrigation is available. Otherwise, plant where they receive only four to five hours of direct sunlight each day. Although they will not die, daisy plants become unattractive in the summer heat. If desired, use a standard garden fertilizer as directed on the label. Do not over-fertilize or the plants will produce lush foliage and weak flower stems. Remove weeds that invade the flower clumps to keep the plants attractive. Deadhead or remove dried stems as needed to keep the plant attractive. Simply drop the old dried flower heads in the garden to allow new plants to sprout the following year.