Daisy, daisy

Someone once said that daisies represent what is so right about gardening. And, you know what? They’re right. Daisies are so cool. There are so many varieties and colors and they’re just so…fun. So HAPPY. They are just the happiest flower to look at, grow and have around. They are also one of the most popular flowers to grow in the home garden. Easy to grow, this delicate and lovely flower reminds us that spring is here, relaxing afternoons and Easter time.

Some random facts about daisies:
The name “daisy” comes from the Anglo-Saxon meaning “day’s eye”.
Most daisies have a spreading growth habit.
In many cultures, daisies are symbols of innocence.
Daisies can be propagated by division.
The English daisy is an invasive weed in the Northwest.
Daisies are used by children to make daisy chains.
Daisy leaves are edible.

Daisies come in all shapes and sizes. Most daisies are perennials, which I like, and that they’ll last several years. Perennials come with a time investment requirement, so they may also take a while to grow. There are annual daisies, to be sure. African daisies, for example, will require a little more work since – as annuals – their life cycle is only the one year. The choice is yours. They can all mostly be grown from seed, so head on down to the local garden center and pick up a package of daisy seeds of your choice.

I like Shasta daisies – so classic. I also really like the Gerber daisies with their brilliant colors. Once you’ve made YOUR choice, you’ll have to find the right place to plant them. Daisies like well-drained soil that is rich with nutrients. They also like full sun. Make sure that your location will get as much sunlight as possible. As always, before you plant, feed your soil so that your soil will feed your plants.

Daisies look best in clumps so it would behoove you to plant your seeds close together. Feed them a nice organic fertilizer during early growth and then once a month after that. Adding a high Phosphorous fertilizer right before bloom time will add to size and brilliance of bloom. Water your daisies when they get dry. Generally, daisies are not bothered by critters. Insects don’t seem to like them. If you find visitors amongst your daisies, there are some good homemade remedies in the arsenal you can check out. Go to the Rogue River Press archives and check out the past articles.

Let’s talk about size. Of the smaller varieties, Gerber or Gerbera daisies are by far the most popular. Angelita or Santa Barbara daisies are good, cheerful choices of the smaller size range. Medium size daisy plants include the chrysanthemums, Echinacea, asters, galliardia, Gloriosa daisy, golden marguerite (can take frost) and the lovely blue-hued Swan River daisy. Larger plants are the Shastas and Euryops. Sunflowers are considered by many to be GIANT daisies and can now be found in a variety of sizes and colors from brilliant reds, to browns and every hue of yellow. Annual daisy varieties include cosmos, coreopsis, Acton, calendula, painted daisies and African daisies.

Gerbera daisies. A bouquet of them will lift the spirit and brighten the day of anyone who receives them. The multitude of varieties and colors lends the Gerbera to becoming the favorite choice for the OCCASION bouquet. Brilliant pink, snowy white, sunshine yellow and deep ruby are a few of the fabulous colors that these happy flowers bring to the gardening table.
While I doubt that anyone is going to have nothing but daisies in their gardens, I think that we overlook this intrinsically happy and underrated flower. I guess people think them common, but nothing says “Welcome To My Garden” like a rousing display of Shastas, with their sunny demeanor.

Daisies lend themselves to cutting to bring indoors. Bring some of this cheer to your garden this year, and take a second look at the varieties of daisy-like flowers. You’ll be glad you did.