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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

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 04/02/2014 - 14:17

You can remove dead or straggly stems. Also remember to deadhead the flowers during the growing season to get more blooms.

 

 <span>Dianna Good</span> Thu, 08/14/2014 - 18:30
last summer and this summer I did Dead head my shasta daisies and they never did rebloom. What Is Wrong. The First Bloom They Are Full And Nice.
<span>Georgewilson</span> Fri, 08/15/2014 - 11:01
If your shasta daisies were crowded or flowered very heavily, they soon become to weak to continue blooming regularly. If the clump is very large you may want to divide in the spring allowing the plant more room to grow.
<span>Teresat</span> Fri, 03/28/2014 - 19:38
I am going to plant hopefully a bunch of these daisy's for my wedding(that is in August). I live in CT, and want to make sure I will not mess this up!! I plan on starting them from seeds. Any helpful hints that will make this a success?!? Your help is greatly appreciated!! Thank you! Sincerely, A Desperate Bride! :)
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 04/02/2014 - 14:50

Hi Teresa,

Make sure to start the seeds as soon as possible indoors . If you direct sow in the garden the plants may not bloom this year. You may want to buy a few started shasta plants at the garden center and plant in your garden just to make sure you have enough for the wedding.

 <span>Gabby Hayes</span> Wed, 06/25/2014 - 17:41
You say to start the seeds as soon as possible, but as soon as possible from when? I have saved the seeds from my most recent deadheading. It is now June 25. When (what month in north Texas) do I need to start them indoors? Thanks
<span>Jo Bales</span> Sun, 05/17/2015 - 16:43
Having lived in the Dallas area (and now SW Arkansas), I'd say start indoors no later than late January. Seed can take anywhere from 15-30 days to germinate, then you want to give them time to grow a few inches tall before transplanting outdoors. Late January should allow you to transplant outdoors by late March/early April. Now, FYI, from my experience planting the seed outdoors, I started them about March of 2013. Seed sprouted but plants didn't grow that much the first year and NEVER flowered. Then in the spring of 2014 they showed signs of life with the first warm weather and took off, becoming 36" high and covered with flowers. I'd say if you're depending on flowers for an event, you might want to start seed early or consider purchasing some growing plants at a local nursery (even better if they have gallon pots of established Shastas as these should be old enough to flower if planted in the beds in March or April).
<span>Hima Bindu</span> Tue, 03/04/2014 - 19:27
hi I have purchased daisy plant couple of months ago recently I have found some small green insects are sticking to the plant please help me how to get rid from those insects
<span>Jo Bales</span> Sun, 05/17/2015 - 17:01
I was interested in your question and Googled for more information. For insects I found a Extension Agent that suggests Sevin or Orthene spray (should kill a variety of bugs). A more environmentally friendly option is to spray them thoroughly with insecticidal soap (follow directions). Another environmentally safe option is Neem Oil spray (again, follow directions) which has the added benefit of protecting the plants from both insects and fungal diseases.
<span>Mike Turner</span> Sat, 02/22/2014 - 22:30
I love flowers ! Up until now I have always bought plants but this year I am starting from seed in doors. The Shasta Daisy as well as Painted Daisy are among those I am starting. It is late February here in Georgia and I am just beginning. Questions...how long does it take for these plants to germinate ? Once planted out doors will they bloom this summer ?