10 Types of Daisies to Grow in Your Garden

Daisies (Bellis perennis) include a few species of flowering plants within the Asteraceae family, also known as the aster, sunflower, or daisy family. Daisy flowers are native to Europe, Africa, and North America. The word “daisy” comes from the Old English word dæges-eage, meaning "day's eye," because the flowers open at dawn. Related flowers, including certain varieties of chrysanthemums, are also known as daisies.

Asteraceae is the second-biggest flower family, and there are more than 20,000 different types of daisies. Daisies are found in every continent on earth except Antarctica and can be annual, biennial, or perennial plants. Popular types of daisies include:

1. 1. Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum): This white daisy is perhaps the most popular daisy. It has white petals surrounding a bright yellow center.
2. 2. Common daisy (Bellis perennis): Perhaps the most recognizable daisy, the common daisy (also known as the lawn daisy or English daisy) has a flat disk shape with a ring of petals around the center.
3. 3. Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii): This daisy comes in shades of red, pink, orange, and yellow and can feature single or semi-double blooms.
4. 4. Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens): The Marguerite daisy comes in white, yellow, and pink flowers.
5. 5. Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): These white flowers typically grow as wildflowers in fields and meadows, and they can grow and spread easily in your garden.
6. 6. Painted daisy (Tanacetum coccineum): These flowers have yellow centers surrounded by petals that can be red, yellow, pink, violet, or white.
7. 7. African daisy (Osteospermum spp.): The African daisy, also called South African daisy, features ombre petals that are darker toward the center of the flower. One variety has petals that are yellow on the outside and purple on the center.
8. 8. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): These wildflowers grow in North America, usually in prairies, and have a large, spiky center with pink and purple petals.
9. 9. Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta): These wildflowers, also called gloriosa daisies, have a dark center with yellow or orange petals.
10. 10. Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii): The Gerbera daisy, also known as the Transvaal daisy or gerber daisy, is native to South Africa and has a dark center surrounded by yellow, orange, or red petals. The blooms are typically four inches across, and the flower can have several petal types: single-flower, semi-double flower, double flower, and spider flower.

You can buy sprouted daisies from most home and garden stores to grow in your garden or a pot indoors. For garden daisies, plant the flowers in early spring when the ground is warm, and flowers will bloom in early summer. Each daisy variety has its care instructions for planting, but this general information applies when planting most types of daisies:

1. 1. Place your daisies in direct sunlight. Daisy plants grow best in full sun and need at least six hours a day of the sun. Daytime temperatures of around 75 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal. For high-temperature environments, plant your daisies in a spot that gets light shade in the afternoon, so the plant doesn’t burn.
2. 2. Plant daisies in nutrient-rich, well-draining soil. Add a layer of mulch on top to prevent weed growth. Do not plant the daisy in soil that is too fertile; otherwise, the flowers will grow more green foliage than blooms. You can mix sand into the soil to aerate it.
3. 3. Give the daisies room to grow. In your garden, plant the daisies one to two feet apart so the roots don’t compete for nutrients and develop fully.
4. 4. Water the base of the plant once a week. The daisies don’t grow well in soggy soil, so ensure the soil is well-drained before watering again.
5. 5. Add compost and mulch. Garden daisies don’t usually need fertilizer, though you can add a new layer of compost or mulch every year to aid in growth. For indoor daisies, use a balanced fertilizer once a month during their growing season.

These drought-tolerant flowers are easy to care for. Follow these tips to keep your flowers strong from season to season:

1. 1. Support your daisies with stakes. Some types of daisies grow tall and may fall over after heavy winds. Keep an eye on your plants and stake if necessary.
2. 2. Deadhead the blooms to promote growth. Daisies can bloom multiple times in a season. If you deadhead the flower heads as soon as they start to fade, you will encourage new blooms to form as many as three times in a season. When the plant has finished blooming, cut back the stems all the way to the leaves, and the plant will rebloom the following year.
3. 3. Propagate daisies by dividing. Daisies will self-seed and proliferate, which means the bushes will grow bigger year after year. In a year or two after the initial bloom, the plant may get so large that its roots overcrowd each other, leading to the withering of certain parts of the plant. At that point, dig up the entire bush, and cut away the dead parts and the corresponding roots. Divide the remaining plant and its roots, and plant the separated sections 10 to 12 inches away from each other. Divide as often as necessary. If you do this, you will have healthy daisy bushes for years to come.

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