How to Take Care of Daisies

When buying daisies decide if you want to plant from seed or from starter plants. Seeds can be started indoors 6-8 weeks befor the last frost date, or they can be sown in the ground in spring or autumn. If sown in the ground they will bloom in the second year. An easier but more expensive way to get Daisies to bloom the first year is to buy starter plants from the garden center or nursery. These will be in the perennial section, in 1/2 gallon, gallon or larger pots. While more expensive than seeds, the cost is still reasonable at approximately 5 - 10 dollars for a one gallon container of 2-3 plants. Get enough to plant the plants every six inches in the area you want to cover. By the third year this area will be completely covered.

Shasta Daisies are the most popular of all Daisy varieties. They will bloom from early summer until frost.

Find a site for the Daisies. Six to 8 hours of sunshine a day from zone 7 to cooler zones is needed. If you are in the north, you will want to place your daisies on the warm southern side of the house where it is a little warmer, and mulch well in the winter. In the midatlantic or other states in any sunny spot will work. If you are in the deep south you may need to place your daisies in the dappled shade.

To prepare the planting site, turn over the ground and mix in compost to the depth of your shovel. Plant the seeds or transplants, tap down the surface and water well. Apply 1-2 inches of mulch. For the first summer make sure you water well to ensure the new plants have ideal conditions to get established.

In the autumn, cut the plants off about one inch above the ground. If there was any sign of disease or pests during the growing year place the cut portions on the curb for recycling if that is available in your area. If there is no sign of disease or pests place in the compost pile.

After a few years you may want to transplant to another area. In spring when the plants have just begun to emerge or after you have trimmed them up in the autumn, just take your shovel and dig into the thickest clumps. Remove wedges of roots. Transplant these to a new site following the directions above. Fill in the area where you removed wedge of roots with soil and compost. Water both the area from which you removed the roots and the new transplanted area well.