English Daisy Care Guide: How to Grow English Daisies

English daisy (Bellis perennis) is a species of daisy-like flowers that belongs to the Asteraceae family, also known as the aster or daisy family. The common names of the English daisy are common daisy and lawn daisy. This European native flower grows up to a foot tall and is optimal as a groundcover plant.

English daisies have a biennial life cycle and will create foliage the first year and flower the following year. English daisies seed aggressively and return year after year, and they are considered an invasive species in some parts of the world. English daisies grow in cool weather and bloom in the spring and early summer. You can plant English daisies with other cool-season spring garden flowers, such as pansies and tulips.

English daisies come in many bloom shapes, from flat to spherical, single and double flower. These three English daisy cultivars are perfect for a home garden:

1. 1. ‘Pomponette’: These double flower daisies are spherical with quilled petals that fold upward. They come in red, pink, and white flowers.
2. 2. ‘Tasso Pink’: This double flower daisy is round and compact; it only grows six inches tall.
3. 3. ‘Galaxy’: These daisies have a flat rosette with a yellow center, and the petals come in white, red, and pink.

Growing English daisies from seeds takes time, so if you want faster blooms, buy mature new plants from a garden center. To grow English daisies from seed, follow these steps:

1. 1. Sow English daisy seeds in the fall. English daisies need cold to kickstart flowering. Sow English daisy seeds in the fall, and they will begin growing foliage after the last frost in the early spring.
2. 2. Freely sow the seeds along the surface of the soil. Press the seeds down into the ground, but do not cover them. The seeds need direct light to germinate.
3. 3. Plant the seeds in well-draining soil. You don’t need to fertilize the soil, but it should be rich in organic matter and well-draining.
4. 4. Water the soil to keep it moist. Keep the soil moist. Germination will take 10 to 25 days.

English daisies are low-maintenance. Follow these steps to ensure their growing conditions are ideal.

1. 1. Ensure your daisies get four to six hours of full sun. English daisies are cool-season plants, and hot summers will cause them to wilt and stop blooming. If you live in a southern region, plant them somewhere with partial shade in the afternoon. In temperate areas, the bloom time of the English daisy can extend to late summer.
2. 2. Keep the soil moist. Water the daisies when the soil is dry to a depth of two inches.
3. 3. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowering. In addition to promoting growth, deadheading English daisies will also prevent the creation of seeds.
4. 4. Propagate English daisies by seeding. If you want to grow more daisies, refrain from deadheading and collect the daisy seeds to replant.
5. 5. Remove excess daisies from your garden. English daisies propagate easily through seeding, and you may find yourself with more English daisies than you want. To get rid of them, completely remove the roots from the soil, and cover the ground with mulch to prevent the daisy seeds from germinating and sprouting again. You can also grow English daisies in containers to control unwanted propagation.

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