False Daisy Herbs

Description

• False daisies reach 24 inches tall and wide and have light-green to purple stems that grow either upright or trail across the ground. Their narrow, lance-shaped leaves grow in pairs. One to three blossoms appear from a false daisy's leaf joints during summer. Each flower is made up of threadlike, white, ray petals surrounding a creamy yellow middle. Tiny green seeds cluster tightly together to create seed heads as large as the blossom.

Native Habitat

• Native to portions of North America, including the United States, false daisies grow along pond and stream edges. They are found in sand dunes, salt marshes and mudflats, too. False daisies also grow wild in Australia, China, East Asia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea.

Growing Conditions

• These herb plants grow as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11 but are annuals in colder climates. They adapt to nearly all soil types, including light, sandy soil and heavy, clay soil. The plants flower best when they receive full sun exposure, but they tolerate light shade. False daisies grow well in soil with a pH range of pH 5.2 to 7.9, which is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.

Propagation

• False daisies grow easily from seeds sown in a greenhouse in spring. Barely cover the seeds with soil in a seed tray because the seeds need light to germinate. The seeds germinate one to three weeks after they are planted. Remove false daisy seedlings from their seed tray when they are a few inches tall, and transplant them into individual plant pots. In early summer, the false daisy seedlings can be transplanted into a garden. Provide sun shades for the young plants until they start to grow strongly.