Daisy

Daisy: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low rosette, 10–15 cm tall and 15–20 cm wide.

Leaves

Spoon-shaped, slightly hairy, in a flat rosette pressed to the ground.

Flowers

Heads on leafless stalks, from March to June: single in the wild form, double or pompon-shaped in garden forms.

Colour

White with a yellow centre in the wild form; garden forms in white, pink, red and bicoloured.

Roots

Short and fibrous; over time the rosettes form small clumps that can be divided.

Flowering: March–June · Harvest and fruit: March–October · Sowing: June–July · Plants: March–April and September–October

Why grow it?

• Flowers early, from March to June, while the garden is still bare.
• One of the first sources of pollen and nectar for bees in spring.
• Small and compact: ideal for pots, troughs and edges, also with spring bulbs.
• The flowers are edible and make a cheerful decoration on a salad or a cake.
• The wild form is native and belongs in a flower-rich lawn.

Daisy: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; it flowers most freely in full sun.
• Ordinary garden soil: sand, loam or clay; acid, neutral or chalky.
• Normally moist: not too dry, but without wet feet.
• Plant 15–20 cm apart; a little closer in a pot or trough.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Forget-me-not: A blue haze around pink and white daisies.
• Tulip: Daisies fill the base of tulips in a pot or bed.
• Pansy: Another early flower in cheerful colours, for pots and edges.
• Daffodil: Yellow and white together, a cheerful spring picture.

Daisy: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in September–October or in March–April, when the ground is not frozen.
2. Loosen the soil and mix in some compost; in a pot, use ordinary potting compost.
3. Set the rosettes at the same depth as before, with the crown just above the soil.
4. Keep 15–20 cm between plants, or put them in pots among tulips, daffodils and forget-me-nots.
5. Water in straight away and keep the soil lightly moist for the first weeks.

Care

Watering

In the ground during dry spells; in pots regularly in spring, as small pots dry out quickly.

Feeding

Some compost at planting; in pots, liquid feed every 3–4 weeks while flowering.

Deadheading

Remove spent flowers regularly: it flowers longer and self-seeds less.

After flowering

Garden forms decline after a year; replace them or divide them in June.

Harvesting

Pick open flowers on a dry morning and use them the same day.

Tip: Grow the double garden forms as biennials: sow in June–July and plant in autumn or early spring in pots and edges. The flowers are edible.

Daisy: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. During flowering, from March to June, remove spent flowers.

How:

• Cut or pinch off spent flower heads with their stalk, just above the leaves.
• Remove yellow or rotting leaves from the rosette to prevent disease.
• Leave a few flowers in the lawn if you want bees and a natural lawn.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In June–July in a seed tray or seedbed, barely covering the fine seed. Prick out the seedlings into small pots and plant them out in autumn.

Division

After flowering, in June, or in September, lift a clump and split it into separate rosettes with roots. This keeps double forms true.

Daisy: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −20 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• Rosettes planted in autumn stay green and flower early in spring.
• In a pot: make sure there is a drainage hole, as wet, frozen compost does more harm than the cold.
• In hard frost, move pots against a wall.

Diseases and pests

• Slugs: Eat holes in leaves and flowers, especially in wet springs. Check in the evening and pick them off.
• Aphids: On flower stalks and buds. Hose them off; natural predators usually clear them quickly.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, especially in dry weather at the end of flowering. Water at the base and remove affected leaves.
• Reverting to single flowers: Seedlings of double forms often have single flowers again. Propagate good forms by division.

Through the year

• March: Flowering starts. Plant in pots and edges.
• April: Full flower. Remove spent flowers.
• May: Flowering. Pick flowers for salads.
• June: Last flowers. Divide or replace spent plants. Sow.
• July: Sow in a seed tray or seedbed.
• August: Prick out seedlings into pots. Water in dry spells.
• September: Plant out where they are to flower.
• October: Plant, together with spring bulbs in pots.

Edible and useful

Flowers (March–October)

Pick the flower heads and the still-closed buds from March to October, preferably from your own lawn that has not been fed or sprayed. They taste mild and slightly nutty, the buds a little sharper. Scatter them over salad, soup and bread, or pickle the buds in vinegar like capers.

Leaves (March–May)

The young leaves in March–May are edible and slightly bitter: add a handful to a mixed salad.

Storing

Pick the flowers just before use: they close quickly. Pickled buds keep for months in the fridge.

Caution: Daisies are safe in normal amounts. People allergic to the daisy family (such as ragweed or chamomile) may also react to them. Do not pick where dogs go or where the lawn has been treated against weeds or moss.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Daisy bud capers (Vinegar · 1 small jar · 15 min + 2 weeks)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name ‘daisy’ comes from ‘day’s eye’: the flowers open in daylight and close in the evening.
• The flower heads also close in rain, which keeps the pollen dry.
• The French name ‘pâquerette’ refers to Easter (Pâques), when the daisy is in full flower.