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How to Grow Shasta Daisies: A Cheerful Guide to Planting & Care

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

Botanical Name
Leucanthemum x superbum
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Low
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Long Blooming
Low Maintenance
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Pollinators
Attracts Songbirds
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Salt Tolerant
Plant Type
Flowers
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Looking to add a pop of sunshine to your garden? Meet the Shasta daisy, cheerful, low-maintenance, and endlessly charming! These classic white-and-yellow perennials are more than just pretty faces. 

With their long blooming season, pollinator-friendly petals, and fuss-free personality, Shasta daisies are a dream come true for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to grow and care for Shasta daisies—from planting tips to keeping them blooming bright all summer long.

Shasta daisies return each year in late spring or early summer and continue blooming into early fall, forming tidy clumps about 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. Their glossy green foliage and sturdy stems make them excellent for garden beds, borders, and long-lasting cut flower arrangements. Because they can spread over time and may self-seed, some gardeners choose to remove spent blooms or plant them in contained beds to keep growth manageable.

Buy Seeds Now

These easy-care perennials attract pollinators and provide consistent color throughout the summer, making them a dependable choice for sunny garden spaces, cottage gardens, and fresh-cut bouquets.

Planting

Where to Plant Shasta Daisies

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).

Harvesting

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

Pests and Problems

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

Types

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

Wit and Wisdom

  • Daisies are one of the April birth flowers. They are also said to symbolize innocence and hope. Learn more flower meanings here.
  • A European native, Shasta daisies are now naturalized throughout North America.

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

Flowers

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

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

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Margaret Till</span> Mon, 07/14/2014 - 12:49
Last year and again this year, I've planted "dwarf" shasta daisies in an old horse watering trough (planting in May). Each year despite my best efforts they have died. I've been growing flowers in this trough for 26 years; it has rocks in the bottom and composted soil above. All things planted there have thrived, except the shasta daisies. Adjacent to the watering trough is a ground level bed which has thriving shastas. I have another flower bed with thriving shasta daisies. So, I am confident I can grow shastas on my farm. I bought these "dwarf" plants from two different local sources, just in case that might have been a problem. Do you have any ideas as to my problem? Perhaps shastas don't like being a container, albeit a big one. Thank you, Margaret
<span>Nancy Slater</span> Sun, 07/13/2014 - 09:29
W How is the best place to cut the flowers of Shasta daisy ? I planted so I could have fresh flowers in my house
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/15/2014 - 08:06

When cutting your shasta daisies for the vase, just cut the stems in the morning. Put the cut stems in water immediately. In fact, we suggest you take a bucket of water with you. You can re-cut the flower once inside to the size of your vase. Make the cut in the water on a sharp angle. Strip all leaves that will be below the water line.

 <span>Terria Lee</span> Mon, 06/16/2014 - 11:33
Can I start plants from the dry flowers? How will I know if the seed is any good? Thank you!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 06/17/2014 - 08:07

You can divide the adult Shasta Daisy into new divisions (as described below) or you can save the seeds to re-plant. In terms of the latter, just deadhead (remove) the spent flowers in early fall and collect them in a paper bag. Let them dry a week and then squeeze out the seeds from the dried heads over a paper bag. See more below about storage.

 <span>Claire</span> Mon, 06/02/2014 - 19:42
I bought a shasta daisy plant two years ago. Last year it grew to about maybe 12 to 24" tall. This year it has doubled it size...thinking close to 3' tall. I have gotten no buds on this plant. Wondering if it is a different plant but was labeled a shasta daisy. There are no buds on this plant. We are in south eastern Michigan near the Ohio border. I would add a picture but don't see how I can.
<span>Scottieweber</span> Thu, 05/29/2014 - 23:09
How do you store shasta daisy seeds? Are they to be kept in a cool dark place or in the freezer? Is there a specific way to store them if they are fresh seeds? Thanks in advance!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/30/2014 - 12:55

Hi, Scottie: One of the most important things is to make sure that your seeds are as dry as possible before storage. Spread them out on a sheet of paper and let them air-dry for a day or two. Don't freeze them. Put them into a well-labeled envelope (use one from junk mail; or, some people save their original seed packet from the spring) and then keep it in a cool, dark, dry place. Two other things are: (1) Have a plan. In our house, the packets go into the shoebox on the shelf at the head of the cellar stairs. (2) Make sure that the envelope is sealed and labeled and that all family members know the plan, so that when the detritus on the back kitchen counter is getting "cleaned up" on a cold winter's morn, "somebody" doesn't pull out this mystery envelope from behind the old breadbox, say "What's this?," and dump a hundred seeds on the kitchen floor. If you know what we mean.

 <span>Cheryl Gmb</span> Sun, 05/25/2014 - 23:49
I have been attempting to plant Shasta daisies from seeds for about 8-10 years now and haven't had so much as a leaf. I have planted Black-eyed Susans with no problem. They come up annually. What do the seedlings look like?
<span>Dawnabela</span> Sat, 05/17/2014 - 08:01
The tips of my snow lady daisy plant have gone Yellow, please can u tell me if I have done something Wrong??? Many thanks