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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>Joy Johnson</span> Sun, 04/09/2017 - 20:46
A friend shared lots of Shasta daisies and black eyed Susans about 8 years ago. Every spring they returned and I had a glorious flower bed. 2 years ago the shastas did not return but susans did. I am heart broken to lose these wonderful flowers. Do shastas have a life span? I live in zone 7 and they were in full sun.
<span>Daffodil2456</span> Wed, 04/17/2019 - 19:46
I suspect the black eyed Susans pushed out the Shasta Daisies. They seem to be very greedy for space (at least in my beds) and I've lost other plants when they took over.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 04/11/2017 - 08:35

If the central portion of the shasta daisy clump begins to die out, that's a cue that it's time to divide. Normally, this plant needs to be divided every few years to maintain its vigor. The best time to do this is spring, but this is a tough perennial so you could probably try any time of year as long as you avoid the hottest periods of summer.

 <span>Sonal Bhatnagar</span> Sat, 04/01/2017 - 21:09
Is it too late already to sow Shasta daisy seeds in Houston (zone 9)? If not, is it better to direct sow outside, or give them a chance a germinate in pots first? Thanks.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 04/05/2017 - 11:50

You should be fine. They're not super picky. Sow Shasta Daisy seeds inside and transplant or sow seed outside in the early spring, after danger of frost has passed.

 <span>Erika</span> Thu, 10/27/2016 - 09:37
I plan on rolling out some chicken wire to protect my tulip bulbs from squirrels and want to plant my shasta daisies in the same bed. Can the daisies grow up through the chicken wire or should I find another spot?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 10/28/2016 - 10:32

Hi Erika,

Your Shasta daisies might grow through the wire but it could cause them stress. The better thing would be to cut the wire with wire cutters to fit over your bulb holes. Dig large holes and plant bulbs in groups (rather than individually), then cut the wire to fit over each hole. You will get  a better show of bulbs and your Shasta daisies will be able to grow freely.

 <span>Kathy</span> Sun, 08/21/2016 - 10:41
I bought 3 Shasta daisy plants from a nursery in the spring. They all had beautiful blooms on them which lasted quite awhile. When they were finished blooming I dead headed them. Soon after all the stems and leaves turned brown. I cut them all to the ground. They did not bloom or grow again. The plants look dead. Do you think they will come up again in the spring
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 08/24/2016 - 16:26

Sadly, occasional problems with Shasta daisies include leaf spot, stem rot, and leaf minor. The first two are fungal infections and the third is an insect pest. Numerous reasons can be assigned, from too damp soil to poor soil to simply nature's way. Let them be and see what happens next year. If they do not come back, you can plant something else.

 <span>Mary Ellen Kaufman</span> Sat, 08/13/2016 - 08:13
Thank you for all the information .