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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> Tue, 04/23/2013 - 10:13
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.
<span>Anonymous</span> Thu, 01/31/2013 - 15:36
There are some black dusty mold (powdery) on my plant wilting stem by stem :(! what do i do??
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 02/04/2013 - 12:14
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.
<span>Anonymous</span> Wed, 07/18/2012 - 17:29
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.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/18/2012 - 21:09
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.
<span>Anonymous</span> Sat, 07/07/2012 - 13:23
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!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/09/2012 - 09:30
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.
<span>Anonymous</span> Sun, 07/01/2012 - 13:51
Do you have to cut off dead flowers? Mine all turned brown and they are getting a twenty minute sprinkle daily. Thx
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/02/2012 - 10:49
Go for it. They will come back next year! Thank you for your interest in the Old Farmer's Almanac and our Web site.