Daisies are cheerful blooms which bring a smile to any gardener’s face. Shasta daisies (Chrysanthemum maximum), which thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, are perennials with flowers up to 3 inches across with white petals and yellow centers. They bloom on shrubs growing up to 36 inches high. Marguerite daisies (Chrysanthemum frutescens), which grow in USDA zones 8 through 11, have smaller flowers, about 2 inches round, commonly with yellow centers and white petals. The plants grow from 24-to-42 inches packed with feathery leaves. You can find varieties of pink and yellow daisies as well. Both sorts of daisies have comparable growing tastes; they grow best in full sunlight but appreciate afternoon shade in hot inland regions. Marguerite daisies succeed in coastal areas.
Planting
Choose a location that receives six hours of continuous sunlight every day. Some foggy coastal regions might not provide enough sunlight for good bloom. In hot and sunny inland regions, afternoon or dappled shade provides the daisies a break from the heat.
Dig the soil to a depth of 18 inches. Add compost. Daisies prefer moist, well-drained, rich land. Exactly how much compost you add depends on your soil. A good start is one bucket of compost for each 3 buckets of dirt.
Spread a slow-release fertilizer on top of the soil. Work the compost and fertilizer to the soil, mixing it also. Rake the area.
Plant the daisies in the soil the same depth they were in the nursery container. As an example, a 1-gallon container is about 10 inches deep, so the hole for the daisy ought to be about 10 inches. Cover the surface of the container soil with an inch of garden dirt. Plant 3 feet apart.
Landscape Thoughts
Plant the daisies as a focus around a birdbath or garden sculpture. Edge the bed with glowing blue lobelia (Lobelia inflatato) to contrast with the white daisies.
Place the daisies in the rear of a flower border in front of cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), which grow to 5 feet and produce daisy-shaped blooms in pink, purple and magenta. Play up the yellow centres of the daisies and cosmos having a border of yellow French marigolds (Tagetes patula) or dwarf zinnias (Zinnia elegans).
Hide the nude legs of roses (rosa) with a border of daisies. The circular shape of the daisies complements the round shape of their roses in full bloom.
Produce a cottage garden look with daisies, roses, hollyhocks (Alcea rosea), sweet peas (Lathryus odoratus) and larkspur (Delphinium consolida).