ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË

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

Also receive the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more.

No content available.

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

Read Next

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
 

More Like This

Comments

You should be fine. They’re not super picky. Sow Shasta Daisy seeds inside and transplant or sow seed outside in the early spring, after danger of frost has passed.

Erika (not verified)

8 years ago

I plan on rolling out some chicken wire to protect my tulip bulbs from squirrels and want to plant my shasta daisies in the same bed. Can the daisies grow up through the chicken wire or should I find another spot?

Hi Erika,

Your Shasta daisies might grow through the wire but it could cause them stress. The better thing would be to cut the wire with wire cutters to fit over your bulb holes. Dig large holes and plant bulbs in groups (rather than individually), then cut the wire to fit over each hole. You will get  a better show of bulbs and your Shasta daisies will be able to grow freely.

Kathy (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

I bought 3 Shasta daisy plants from a nursery in the spring. They all had beautiful blooms on them which lasted quite awhile. When they were finished blooming I dead headed them. Soon after all the stems and leaves turned brown. I cut them all to the ground. They did not bloom or grow again. The plants look dead. Do you think they will come up again in the spring

Sadly, occasional problems with Shasta daisies include leaf spot, stem rot, and leaf minor. The first two are fungal infections and the third is an insect pest. Numerous reasons can be assigned, from too damp soil to poor soil to simply nature’s way. Let them be and see what happens next year. If they do not come back, you can plant something else.

Mary Ellen Kaufman (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

Thank you for all the information .

Cathie (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

Our daisies needed to be dead headed so my husband offered to do it while I made dinner. To my horror he cut the whole plants down instead. It's only August 12th. What will come of these poor plants now?

Sylvia Rushing (not verified)

5 years 4 months ago

We have had a hot dry summer with very little rain. The plant has grown about 2 feet but is turning brown on the inside down to the roots should I cut it back again

Hi Cathie,

Chances are good you will see some new growth before the season is over. Not to fear, it is very unlikely they will die—they are no doubt just a bit shocked!

Cindy (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

All my flowers turned brown so I cut them off - deadheaded them. Now there is only greenery - no new flowers have bloomed, and it has been approx. a month since I deadheaded them. Why are they not reblooming?