English Daisy Care Must-Knows
English daisies are fairly easy to grow, but there are a few conditions they won’t tolerate. During the summer heat, especially in southern climates, these cool-season plants will stop blooming and ultimately decline. That’s why typically these plants are treated as either biennials or cool-season annuals. If you’re growing your English daisies from seed, they generally require a cold period in order to induce flowering. In mild climates, this can be achieved by planting young plants outdoors in the fall and leaving them through the winter to bloom in early spring. English daisy is primarily grown from seed and can become mildly invasive in some areas—this is where it gets one of its common names, lawn daisy. In areas where the plants are hardy and where the summers aren’t too hot, they can seed quite aggressively in lawns, and their foliage can compete with other plants and grasses. For the best results, plant your English daisy in well-drained, evenly moist soil. The plants don’t appreciate drought, and like consistently moist soil, so make sure to water it during droughts. For the best display of flowers, plant them in full sun. English daisies can take part shade, and actually will perform better when sheltered during heat. As the flowers of English daisy fade, they’ll benefit from deadheading. Removing the old blooms will encourage new blooms and keep the plants from spending energy on producing seed.
More Varieties of English Daisy
‘Galaxy Red’ English Daisy
Bellis ‘Galaxy Red’ is one variety in the Galaxy Series. Others are ‘Galaxy Rose’ and ‘Galaxy White’. All form low-growing carpets of daisies with a bright yellow eye. Zones 4-8
‘Habanera Mix’ English Daisy
Bellis ‘Habanera Mix’ offers large, double flowers in pink, red, and white. They grow 6 inches tall. Zones 4-8
‘Pomponette’ English Daisy
Bellis ‘Pomponette’ is a mix of red, rose, and white double daisies with quilled petals. Zones 4-8
‘Tasso Pink’ English Daisy
Bellis ‘Tasso Pink’ produces double soft pink flowers on compact 6-inch-tall plants.
English Daisy Companion Plants
Dianthus
The quintessential cottage flower, pinks are treasured for their grasslike blue-green foliage and abundant starry flowers, which are often spicily fragrant. Depending on the type of pink, flowers appear in spring or summer and tend to be pink, red, white, rose, or lavender, but they come in nearly all shades but true blue. Plants range from tiny creeping groundcovers to 30-inch-tall cut flowers, which are a favorite with florists. Foliage is blue-green.
Pansy
From tiny, cheerful Johnny jump-ups to the stunning 3-inch blooms of Majestic Giant pansies, the genus Viola has a spectacular array of delightful plants for the spring garden. They’re must-haves to celebrate the first days of spring, since they don’t mind cold weather and can even take a little snow and ice. They’re pretty planted in masses in the ground, but are also cherished for the early color they bring to pots, window boxes, and other containers. By summer, pansies bloom less and their foliage starts to brown. It’s at this time you’ll have to be tough, tear them out, and replant with warm-season annuals, such as marigolds or petunias. But that’s part of their charm—they’re an ephemeral celebration of spring.
Snapdragon
Few gardens should be without the easy charm of snapdragons. They get their name because you can gently press the sides of the intricately shaped flower, then release, to see the “jaws” snap closed. The blooms come in gorgeous colors, including some with beautiful variations on each flower. Snapdragons are an outstanding cut flower. Gather a dozen or more in a small vase and you’ll have one of the prettiest bouquets around. Snapdragons are especially useful because they’re a cool-season annual, coming into their own in early spring when the warm-season annuals, such as marigolds and impatiens, are just being planted. They’re also great for fall color. Plant them in early spring, a few weeks before your region’s last frost. Deadhead them regularly for the best bloom and fertilize regularly as well. Snapdragons often self-seed in the landscape if not deadheaded, so they’ll come back year after year, but hybrid plant blooms will often be muddy looking. In mild regions, the entire plant may overwinter if covered with mulch.
