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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, Ed, "Normal"? Nature makes no promise to be normal. While it's not possible to be absolutely certain of the reason, but we can offer a few ideas:
• The plant might have gottten Botrytis blight, or another fungus from too much water. We can't explain its recovery unless—maybe—the frost killed/eliminated the fungus.
• The plant may have needed watering and discarded its buds as a result.
• Pruning some bloomers, like the shasta daisy, after the first bloom, sets the plant up for a possible second bloom. The frost may have affected that change, so the plant bloomed again.
Perhaps a reader has another (better?) idea?

Sherry Norm (not verified)

10 years 3 months ago

My shasta daisies and bee balm both lean over and will not stand up straight. What causes this?

Shasta daisies and other perennials sometimes do fall over, especially when they are heavy with flowers.  You can stake them with wood or bamboo as they grow or back against a fence or structure. Also, you can cut them back by half immediately after their first bloom and they will flower again and be more compact.

jan leggat (not verified)

10 years 3 months ago

I've had no luck with shastas.planted some a few years ago,the green comes back but only a few daisies,so I took that plant out and planted 2 very nice ones(big and full) end of july.All the flowers turned brown and lost there peddles.They get about 50% sun.Is that whats wrong?HELP....

Hi, Jan: They need full sun, so this could be the problem. Sounds like it could be a moisture issue, too, though, so make sure they get a good soaking once a week. Hang in there!

Kay. (not verified)

10 years 3 months ago

I just bought a bunch of shasta daisies on clearance as it is mid-August in CO...will they come back next year if I mulch or did I waste my money??

You can plant shasta daisies in the fall in Colorado. If planting now, perhaps plant in partial shade; ensure soil is moist and well-draining. Deadhead your flowers to make sure the plant keeps blooming.

Tomc (not verified)

10 years 4 months ago

I have planted daisy seeds several times. I used a starter tray and have planted directly outdoors. The seeds sprout, grow to about an inch, and flop over and die. What could be going wrong?

I planted daisy seeds indoors using small clay pots. After about three months I took them outdoors in a sheltered area. They are growing nicely. I also used a starter tray at the same time as the pots but they did not make it past an inch as well.

Daisies can be challenging to grow from seed. They are extremely sensitive. We could go into all the reasons why, but suffice it to say that many folks are better off purchasing this type of flower from nurseries as transplants.