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EmailBotanical name: Leucanthemum x superbum
Plant type: Flower
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5, 6, 7, 8
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Soil type: Any
Flower color: White
The cheerful shasta daisy is a classic perennial. It looks similar to the familiar roadside daisy but has larger and more robust blooms.
Shasta daisies tend to bloom in clumps from 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.
Like clockwork, shastas return every spring or early summer and bloom until early fall. They are never invasive (like some consider roadside daisies to be) and they are terrific for cutting.
Planting
- Grow in full sun.
- Soil should be moderately fertile, not overly rich, moist but well-drained.
- Sow seeds in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring. Divide perennials in early spring or late summer.
- If you seed directly, expect bloom the following spring after one season's growth.
- If purchasing a plant in a container, plant in spring.
- Loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
- Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the container.
- When placing 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.
- Many of the taller plants need support/staking.
Care
- Water during the summer only if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
- After the first killing frost, cut stems back to an inch or two above the soil line.
- Every spring, apply some compost and mulch to help control weeds.
- Every 3 to 4 years, divide perennials again in early spring or late summer.
Pests
Aphids, slugs, earwigs, chrysanthemum nematode, and leaf spots may be troublesome. However, daisies are generally low maintenance.
Recommended Varieties
- '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.
Special Features
- Attracts Butterflies
Wit & Wisdom
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.
–Abba Woolson
E-Cards
Credit: Genny Resch
"Snapshot of praying mantis perched on my shasta daisy."
Send a free e-card of lively daisy. To see more daisy images, click here.
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Comments
By Anonymous on May 18
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What would cause both my large and small Shastas to die out after only one year?
By Anonymous on April 27
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When you say 'keep removing fading flowers' do you mean just the flower or the stem too?
By Anonymous
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I planted my shastas by seed 3 years ago the Plants have been large and healthy but never flowered last year so I divided them and still waiting on blooms this April.I live in central Florida.What nutrient is missing?
By Almanac Staff
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Shastas need sun to bloom. Make sure they get at least 6 hours of sun. Add a light application of a slow release plant food to the soil in the spring and topdress with some compost.
By Anonymous
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There are some black dusty mold (powdery) on my plant wilting stem by stem :(! what do i do??
By Almanac Staff
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It sounds like your plants have sooty mold. This fungus develops on honeydew, a sticky, sugary substance that aphids, mealybugs, scales, or other insects secrete while sipping sap from your plants. The fungus doesn't harm the plants directly, but may inhibit growth by blocking out needed light to plant tissues. You can gently wipe the mold and honeydew off the plants with a damp cloth.
If you control the sap-sucking insects, you will prevent further mold from developing, and also prevent the plant from wilting. Check to see if there are lots of little insects attached along the stems and leaves of your plants. Mealybugs look like tiny white, segmented insects, sort of like mini-pillbugs. Aphids are tiny pear-shaped insects with antennae; the color can vary with species.
If you see aphids or mealybugs, you can wash them off with a strong spray of water; keep spraying plants every few days, and get the undersides of the leaves, too. To control heavy infestations, you can use insecticidal soap, according to manufacturer's directions. If they still don't go away, ask your local garden nursery for stronger organic options. There are also beneficial insects that attack mealybugs or aphids.
Scales, which look like bumps (various colors, depending on species) along the stems, are harder to control. There are some beneficial insects that attack scale. You can gently pick off each scale off one plant, for mild infestations, or use a soft toothbrush dipped in soapy water to gently rub them off the plant. For heavier infestations, ask your local nursery for products to control scale.
By Anonymous
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After they have seemd to 'peak out' and have turned brown will they continue to bloom if they are trimmed? It's only been about 30 days of blooming.
By Almanac Staff
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To extend the blooming period of shasta daisies, you need to 1. keep removing faded flowers and 2. divide frequently. Select the stronger plants from the outside of the group and remove the plants in the center.
By Anonymous
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How much water is too much? We just planted them. We live in southern CA and they are getting daily water but are looking droopy and the flowers are already turning brown. Thanks!
By Almanac Staff
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Water plants during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. You can test amount of rainfall but putting out an empty tuna can and measure the level of water inside. If you have tall varieties, they may need to be staked to stand upright. Avoid overwatering which can lead to droopy daisies and disease.
By Anonymous
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Do you have to cut off dead flowers? Mine all turned brown and they are getting a twenty minute sprinkle daily.
Thx
By Almanac Staff
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Go for it. They will come back next year!
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