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How to Grow Shasta Daisies: The Complete Shasta Daisy Flower Guide

Learn how to plant and grow shasta daisies, a classic perennial.

Botanical Name
Leucanthemum x superbum
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
White
Hardiness Zone
4
5
6
7
8
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Shasta Daisies

Catherine Boeckmann

The cheerful Shasta daisy is a classic perennial. It looks similar to the familiar roadside field daisy but has larger and more robust blooms. Here’s how to grow Shasta daisies in your garden!

About Shasta Daisies

A European native, Shasta daisies are now naturalized throughout North America. Like clockwork, these daisies return every spring or early summer and bloom until early fall. They can be aggressive growers, so if you don’t want them spreading, choose varieties that don’t produce viable seeds or remove flowers before they go to seed. Because they are capable of spreading and are non-native, consider keeping them contained in garden beds away from wild areas.

Shasta daisies tend to form clumps that are 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. They bear all-white daisy petals, yellow disk florets, and contrasting glossy, dark green leaves. Shasta daisies are terrific as cut flowers, as their blooms can last a week or more in arrangements.

Black bees on the clover-heads drowsily clinging,
Where tall feathered grasses and buttercups sway;
And all through the fields a white sprinkle of daisies,
Open-eyed at the setting of day.
–A²ú²ú²¹&²Ô²ú²õ±è;°Â´Ç´Ç±ô²õ´Ç²Ô

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Planting

Grow daisies in full sun for the best blooms. 

Soil should be moderately fertile—too rich, and you’ll get more vegetation than flowers. The soil should also be moist but well-draining.

To improve soil fertility before planting, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.

When to Plant Shasta Daisies

  • Sow seeds in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring.
  • If you seed directly, expect blooms after one season’s growth the following spring.
  • If purchasing a plant in a container, plant in spring or early fall.

How to Plant Shasta Daisies

  • Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the container.
  • When placing the plant in the hole, make sure the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
  • Fill around the root ball and firm the soil.
  • Water thoroughly.
  • Taller plants may need support/staking.

Growing

  • Water during the summer only if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Daisies are generally tolerant of dry spells once they are established.
  • Every spring, apply some compost and mulch to help control weeds.
  • As flowers fade, deadhead to extend the blooming season.
  • After the first killing frost, cut stems back to an inch or two above the soil line. (See local frost dates.)

Dividing Daisies

To keep daisies blooming their best, plan to divide them every 2 to 3 years in early spring (before flowers appear) or in late summer or early fall (after flowers fade). Signs that a plant should be divided include:

  • Less-vigorous foliage growth
  • Smaller flowers or fewer flowers overall
  • Parts of the plant appear sparse or dead (especially the center of a clump)

How to Divide Daisies

  1. Use a spade or garden fork to loosen the soil around the plant, then gently remove it from the soil, doing your best to leave most roots intact.
  2. Brush or shake off soil from the roots. Then, using a sharp knife or pruning shears, divide the plant into two or more pieces, ensuring that each piece has at least a few stems and healthy-looking roots. Discard any diseased or damaged pieces.
  3. Replant the divisions as desired (spaced about 1-2 feet apart).

Types

  • ‘B±ð³¦°ì²â’ is a classic variety with large flowers that grows to about 3 feet tall.
  • ‘Cobham Gold’ is a popular variety with double flowerheads and a yellow disc carried atop 2-foot stems.
  • ‘Horace Reed’ is an elegant daisy with double white flowerheads and incurved disk florets.
  • ‘Snow Lady’ is a fast-growing, erect, bushy perennial that blooms the first year from seed and produces single white flowerheads in the summer.

Harvesting

  • Shasta daisies make for a lovely cut flower, lasting a week or more in arrangements.
Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

Pests/Diseases

Daisies are generally low maintenance and disease resistant. However, the following may occasionally be troublesome:

Flowers
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË found each other. She leads digital content for the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Hi Cindy,

If, when you deadheaded, you didn’t cut down to a stem junction, that could increase the time it takes for the plant to set buds. In other words, snipping just the flower head off, rather than getting down to where a set of two leaves join. Try cutting back a bit more and fertilizing. There is still time to get another flush out of them.

Sue Bugajsky (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

Can I split my daisies now that they are done flowering. I did find out I should cut the dead flowers off, thanks for that bit of information.

Hi Sue,

The best time to divide perennials, including daisies, is in the fall, when temperatures have cooled and there’s more moisture content in the soil.

Ann-Margaret (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

My shastas were doing great until they began flowering. Now the buds have this white crystal stuff on the yellow part. I am not sure if it is an aphid problem or a fungus. I have seen some ladybugs on the stems and am wondering if I should go buy some more to release on the plants.

Hi Ann-Margaret,

That might be powdery mildew, which is a fungus. On the other hand, the presence of lady bugs could be an indicator that there aphids around, and the Hackberry Woolly aphid could be described as crystal like. Releasing more ladybugs is an excellent idea! Increasing their numbers should knock back the aphid population, in time.

Barbara (not verified)

8 years 4 months ago

Thank you, so informative!

Beth (not verified)

8 years 4 months ago

My daises have die off already, should I snip off the dead heads, or did I do something wrong, I thought daises bloomed all summer long.

You should indeed deadhead the flowers once the bloom has faded; cut back to where they emerge from the foliage. This keeps the plants from expending energy into making seed. Deadheading will also encourage heavier and more blooming.

Jim (not verified)

8 years 4 months ago

We planted four beautiful Shasta Daisy plants in planters on the deck this spring. They are about 2 & 1/2 feet tall now. Will they survive a New Jersey winter in the planters or should we plant them in the ground this fall?
Thanks!

These plants will bloom until about the end of fall. You shouldn’t need to plant them in the ground; doing to at the end of bloom may not give them enough time to set up. So, after the first frost date (find yours here: https://goo.gl/fovNKT ) cut the plant down almost to the soil. Lay on a couple inches of mulch. Transfer the container/s to a shed or garage or other cool dark room for winter. This plant does not need light or fertilizer in its dormancy—but it does need a bit of water, a few drops when the soil is very dry (yes, that would be under the mulch). Bring the plants back out after your last frost date, increasing the outdoor expose an hour or two a day. Remove the mulch when new growth appears and begin the regular maintenance. If you want to plant them in the ground, do it in the late spring.