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How to Grow Daisy

Leucanthemum × superbum

Perennial

Daisies are among the most cheerful and reliable garden perennials. Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum) produce classic white-and-yellow blooms from early summer into autumn, thriving in full sun and any reasonable soil. Plant 30 cm apart and deadhead regularly for continuous flowering. Divide clumps every two to three years in spring to maintain vigour — they spread quickly and can become congested. Bellis perennis, the common English daisy, is a tough little plant for lawns, edging, and containers that needs almost no care at all.

Yearly Lifecycle

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JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Spring Growth Flowering Growing Leaf Fall

Care Essentials

Apply a balanced feed in spring as new growth appears. Shasta daisies benefit from a second feed in midsummer.

Watch For

  • Aphids on flower stems
  • Slugs on young growth in spring
  • Earwigs hiding in flower heads

Companions

Salvia, Lavender, Achillea, Geranium

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Care Requirements

☀️ Light

Full sun to light shade

Daisies flower best in full sun but tolerate light shade. Shasta daisies need at least five to six hours of direct sun for strong stems and abundant flowers.

💧 Watering

Regular watering, avoid waterlogging

Keep soil evenly moist during the growing season, especially in the first year. Established plants are moderately drought-tolerant but flower better with consistent moisture. Avoid waterlogged soil in winter.

🌱 Fertilizing

Balanced feed in spring

Apply a balanced general-purpose fertilizer in spring. Shasta daisies are moderate feeders and benefit from a second light feed in midsummer to support continued flowering.

✂️ Pruning

Deadhead regularly, cut back in autumn

Remove spent flowers promptly to encourage continuous blooming. Cut all stems to ground level in late autumn after foliage dies back. Remove any dead or damaged basal leaves in spring.

🍂 Mulching

Compost mulch in spring

Apply a layer of garden compost around the base in spring to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Keep mulch away from the crown to prevent rot.

Growing Tips

Divide regularly for vigour

Shasta daisies spread quickly and become congested in the centre. Lift and divide every 2–3 years in spring, replanting the vigorous outer sections and discarding the woody centre.

Deadhead for continuous blooms

Remove spent flowers promptly by cutting the stem back to a side shoot or the basal foliage. This encourages a long succession of blooms from June to September.

Stake tall varieties

Taller Shasta daisy cultivars like 'Alaska' can flop in wind and rain. Use grow-through supports placed in late spring before the stems get too tall.

Great for cutting

Daisies make excellent cut flowers. Cut stems in the morning when blooms are just fully open and they will last a week or more in a vase.

Pests & Diseases

Pest Aphids

Identification: Clusters of green or black aphids on stem tips and flower buds; sticky honeydew

Organic treatment:
  • Blast off with a strong jet of water
  • Encourage ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies
Chemical treatment:
  • Spray with a pyrethrin-based insecticide if infestations are severe
Pest Slugs and Snails

Identification: Shredded or missing young leaves at ground level; slime trails around the plant

Organic treatment:
  • Apply biological nematode control (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) in early spring
  • Use copper tape or grit barriers around the crown
Chemical treatment:
  • Apply ferric phosphate slug pellets around emerging growth
Pest Earwigs

Identification: Ragged holes in petals, especially on double-flowered varieties; earwigs visible when flowers are shaken

Organic treatment:
  • Set traps using upturned pots stuffed with straw on canes near the plants
  • Shake flowers over a bucket in the morning to dislodge earwigs
Chemical treatment:
  • Rarely necessary; trapping is effective
Disease Powdery Mildew

Symptoms: White powdery coating on leaves; affected leaves may yellow and drop

Treatment: Remove badly affected leaves; improve air circulation

Prevention: Ensure good spacing; avoid overhead watering; keep soil moist at the roots

Disease Leaf Spot

Symptoms: Brown or black spots on leaves, sometimes with yellow halos; leaves may drop prematurely

Treatment: Remove and destroy affected leaves; improve air circulation

Prevention: Avoid overhead watering; clear fallen debris in autumn; ensure good spacing

Disease Crown Rot

Symptoms: Soft, mushy crown at soil level; plant collapses; foul smell

Treatment: Remove and destroy affected plants; improve drainage before replanting

Prevention: Ensure good drainage; avoid heavy mulching against the crown; do not overwater

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