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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

Though they can bloom earlier, Shasta Daisies tend to bloom early summer through fall (if you deadhead to prolong blooming).

There are certainly other daisy-like flowers that bloom in early spring. Examples include yellow Leopard’s Bane (Doronicum orientale) and brightly-colored Gazanias. Google them to see examples.

sheryl (not verified)

6 years 5 months ago

Bought a beautiful Shasta daisy about a month ago in early June in full bloom ? forced? I planted it using a small amount of cow manure with 0.5-0.5-0.5 ratio listed on the bag. After the blooms died out, I deadheaded. Since then, the plant looks droopy and a little dried up. About 10 days ago, I fed it some bone meal. It has been raining, so it should have enough water. Am I overdoing it ?

You might be. You might also be right about its having been forced to bloom. But you get points for trying! Think of it this way: The plant was putting on its best show…and then it was upended (moved) and its roots were, well, force fed (don’t mean that unkindly) and then dunked. It needs time to become acclimated to its environment. This is not to say that you did anything wrong (we can not see the situation) but and transplant/-fer/transition is going to be a surprise that a plant needs some time to get used to. Let it dry betw waterings. Do not be surprised if you do not get any more flowers this year, just keep an eye on it.

Robin (not verified)

6 years 5 months ago

How do i plant a variety of daisies called miracle daisy

We can’t seem to find any real variety of daisy called a Miracle Daisy—they appear to be a product of the imagination (and Photoshop)!

Maggie Hammerle (not verified)

6 years 6 months ago

I purchased some daisy seeds during the winter, and planted this Spring in a plastic container used for plants bought at the nursery...Each little seed has 3 sets of leaves now...Should I wait 'till fall to put them in my flower bed, or when would be best...I live in S. E. Texas, and that flower bed gets the morning sun, but it sure can get hot here...Thanks for any advice...

Harden off (bring outdoors for a couple/few hours per day) and plant in a week or so. See other guidance above.

Ouida (not verified)

6 years 6 months ago

Hi, When you deadhead a daisy do you just take the flower off or the stem it is growing from? I am new to gardening. Love it but a lot to learn.

Shasta daisies produce only one flower per stem, so once a flower is finished, you can cut its stem back to the ground. Other daisy varieties have branching flowers; in this case, cut back only to the next flower bud or set of leaves. 

Planted my Shastas about 3 weeks ago. All looked good till I noticed that a a fair amount of heada have turned brown. I have a nist system that comes on every 12 hrs for 5 minutes. Is this condition normal? Should I dead head the flowers that are brown?