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How to Grow Shasta Daisies: A Cheerful Guide to Planting & Care

Learn how to plant and grow shasta daisies, a classic perennial.

Botanical Name
Leucanthemum x superbum
Plant Type
Flowers
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
White
Hardiness Zone
4
5
6
7
8
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

Bright, Bold, and Blissfully Easy: Bring Sunshine to Your Garden with Shasta Daisies!

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Looking to add a pop of sunshine to your garden? Meet the Shasta daisy, cheerful, low-maintenance, and endlessly charming! These classic white-and-yellow perennials are more than just pretty faces. With their long blooming season, pollinator-friendly petals, and fuss-free personality, Shasta daisies are a dream come true for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to grow and care for Shasta daisies—from planting tips to keeping them blooming bright all summer long.

About Shasta Daisies

A European native, Shasta daisies are now naturalized throughout North America. Like clockwork, these daisies return every spring or early summer and bloom until early fall. They can be aggressive growers, so if you don’t want them spreading, choose varieties that don’t produce viable seeds or remove flowers before they go to seed. Because they are capable of spreading and are non-native, consider keeping them contained in garden beds away from wild areas.

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Shasta daisies tend to form clumps that are 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. They bear all-white daisy petals, yellow disk florets, and contrasting glossy, dark green leaves. Shasta daisies are terrific as cut flowers, as their blooms can last a week or more in arrangements.

Black bees on the clover-heads drowsily clinging,
Where tall feathered grasses and buttercups sway;
And all through the fields a white sprinkle of daisies,
Open-eyed at the setting of day.
–Abba Woolson

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Planting

Grow daisies in full sun for the best blooms. 

Soil should be moderately fertile—too rich, and you’ll get more vegetation than flowers. The soil should also be moist but well-draining.

To improve soil fertility before planting, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.

When to Plant Shasta Daisies

  • Sow seeds in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring.
  • If you seed directly, expect blooms after one season’s growth the following spring.
  • If purchasing a plant in a container, plant in spring or early fall.

How to Plant Shasta Daisies

  • Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the container.
  • When placing the plant in the hole, make sure the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface.
  • Fill around the root ball and firm the soil.
  • Water thoroughly.
  • Taller plants may need support/staking.

Growing

  • Water during the summer only if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Daisies are generally tolerant of dry spells once they are established.
  • Every spring, apply some compost and mulch to help control weeds.
  • As flowers fade, deadhead to extend the blooming season.
  • After the first killing frost, cut stems back to an inch or two above the soil line. (See local frost dates.)

Dividing Daisies

To keep daisies blooming their best, plan to divide them every 2 to 3 years in early spring (before flowers appear) or in late summer or early fall (after flowers fade). Signs that a plant should be divided include:

  • Less-vigorous foliage growth
  • Smaller flowers or fewer flowers overall
  • Parts of the plant appear sparse or dead (especially the center of a clump)

How to Divide Daisies

  1. Use a spade or garden fork to loosen the soil around the plant, then gently remove it from the soil, doing your best to leave most roots intact.
  2. Brush or shake off soil from the roots. Then, using a sharp knife or pruning shears, divide the plant into two or more pieces, ensuring that each piece has at least a few stems and healthy-looking roots. Discard any diseased or damaged pieces.
  3. Replant the divisions as desired (spaced about 1-2 feet apart).

Types

  • ‘Becky’ is a classic variety with large flowers that grows to about 3 feet tall.
  • ‘Cobham Gold’ is a popular variety with double flower heads and a yellow disc carried atop 2-foot stems.
  • ‘Horace Reed’ is an elegant daisy with double white flower heads and incurved disk florets.
  • ‘Snow Lady’ is a fast-growing, erect, bushy perennial that blooms the first year from seed and produces single white flower heads in the summer.

Harvesting

  • Shasta daisies make for a lovely cut flower, lasting a week or more in arrangements.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Daisies are generally low maintenance and disease resistant. However, the following may occasionally be troublesome:

Wit and Wisdom

Flowers
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 10/15/2013 - 10:46

Fall and spring are the best times to transplant Shasta daisies. You can transplant now. Water the daisy transplants daily for the first week.

 <span>Flower Gardener</span> Thu, 09/12/2013 - 08:54
After first frost, do I cut back both the flower stems and the leaves, and by how much?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 09/12/2013 - 15:53

After the first killing frost, cut stems back to an inch or two above the soil line.

 <span>Jean Jearman</span> Fri, 08/30/2013 - 05:47
I did not cut my daisies back last Fall so this year they are very tall (three and a half ft.) and very full. The leaves are beautiful but there is no sign of a flower. They are four years old and have never bloomed until late Sept. They have the required amount of sun but perhaps I over watered them. Would that cause the delay in blooms?
<span>Michelle D</span> Sat, 09/07/2013 - 11:50
I didn't cut mine back until early spring (just didn't get around to it before snowfall). I just noticed my first buds today, so I expect them to start blooming this week. I'm not sure what area you live in, but here in NW Pennsylvania, they never seem to bloom before September. I am still waiting for blooms on my Rudbeckia, Its been a bush of healthy leaves all summer. But my mums, rudbeckia, asters and Shasta daisies all generally bloom late August/early September.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Sat, 09/07/2013 - 09:16

It's not uncommon for shasta daisies to bloom in September. Other factors to consider: Ensure that your soil isn't depleted of phosphorus. Add bone meal to the soil. Don't crowd the roots. Shatas need to be divided every few years or more often.

 <span>Davaline</span> Tue, 08/27/2013 - 13:43
well my daisies were agiantFAIL!!! lol not even a sprout oh well I tried and nowI know for next year at least.
<span>David C Wood Sr</span> Thu, 10/31/2013 - 16:44
my dasies, came as a plant and I planted them. they grew, but never flowered. what do I do, it is fall know 10/31
<span>Cindy Cosmi</span> Sat, 08/24/2013 - 12:04
sow the seeds? when is the best time to sow this years seeds. Should i let mother nature take over or save them for next spring. i live ay 6500 ft in california. my garden is just starting to turn brown.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 08/26/2013 - 10:52

Sow seeds or transplants outside in the early spring as soon as risk of frost has passed. You can start earlier by sowing inside if you wish.