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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, 05/23/2018 - 14:11

Harden off (bring outdoors for a couple/few hours per day) and plant in a week or so. See other guidance above.

 <span>Ouida</span> Fri, 05/11/2018 - 19:14
Hi, When you deadhead a daisy do you just take the flower off or the stem it is growing from? I am new to gardening. Love it but a lot to learn.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 05/14/2018 - 10:55

Shasta daisies produce only one flower per stem, so once a flower is finished, you can cut its stem back to the ground. Other daisy varieties have branching flowers; in this case, cut back only to the next flower bud or set of leaves. 

 <span>Gerard L Ritzinger</span> Sat, 07/07/2018 - 19:41
Planted my Shastas about 3 weeks ago. All looked good till I noticed that a a fair amount of heada have turned brown. I have a nist system that comes on every 12 hrs for 5 minutes. Is this condition normal? Should I dead head the flowers that are brown?
<span>Jamie</span> Wed, 06/06/2018 - 01:19
Had this question also. Thankyou!
<span>Wayne Yahnke</span> Thu, 04/12/2018 - 14:34
Hello, My wife and I have a beautiful raised beed that is part of a retaining wall to our pool area. It is filled with Shasta Daisies. They seem to love it there. Every year we cut them back and they grow again in the spring/summer months. Id like to add some color to the bloom. We have 20+ potted Lillies that are in need of a permanent home. I feel like they would thrive in the same location of the daisies. Has anyone attempted this? Do both flowers thrive? Do they need to be separated within the same bed? What steps do you take to ensure each plant is healthy? All advies is appreciated. Thanks
<span>Angela</span> Fri, 02/23/2018 - 04:52
just sowed seeds in our community green house . this will be a lovely addition to our gardens.
<span>Johnpaul</span> Sun, 10/29/2017 - 05:59
Last summer, after moving into my new abode - Southern Hemisphere time - I threw around some mixed seed - not knowing what might turn up. Amongst my more permanent plantings appeared what I now know is a clump of Shasta Daisies. Following last summer, we had a very wet winter when it rained on average, two or three days every week, if not more, long and heavy! I wondered why this new arrival, whose name I didn't at that time know, would wilt every time there was a bit of sun. Then, I researched on the internet and discovered that Shasta Daisies don't like to be watered too much and to my shame... until I knew what they were, I was supplementing them with even more water! However, when I cut back and the weather improved, my Shasta's have come into their own. They're magnificent!
<span>Cheryl Lyons</span> Sun, 10/22/2017 - 14:16
Got my first Shasta this spring. Not knowing what they would do, I planted in a larger pot and kept on patio. I bring in lots of different plants and place them in southern window all winter and spring. Have had the same Boston ferns and Gerba's now for several years and they all get more beautiful as the years pass. What do I do with the Shasta, take it in or leave it outside in the pot? This spring I hope to put it in a sunny place outdoors and keep it there. Thanks. Cheryl in Central Illinois.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 10/23/2017 - 12:37

Shasta daisies need a dormancy period, so it would be best to leave the pot in a place where temperatures will get below 40°F. Place it in a spot that is sheltered from strong winds and melting snow—shasta daisies prefer not to sit in wet soil while dormant. It would also be wise to put a 2-inch layer of mulch on top of the pot for extra insulation. If you have a shed or unheated cellar, you could place the pot there, too.