Plant ID card |
|
|---|---|
Botanical name |
Bellis perennis. |
Common name |
Daisy, Easter flower. |
Family |
Asteraceae. |
Origin |
Europe, North Africa and Türkiye. |
Dimensions |
The wild daisy measures around 10 cm in all directions and spreads with short stolons. Horticultural forms like Pomponettes reach 15 to 25 cm in height. Growth is rapid. |
Foliage |
The evergreen, sometimes downy leaves are spatula-shaped, 1 to 6 cm long and are grouped in dense rosettes. |
Bloom |
The solitary flower heads with golden hearts present a crown of white, pink or carmine red ligules. |
Fruiting |
Feathery achenes. |
Exposure |
Sun, partial shade. |
Ground |
All cool soil in winter and spring. |
Rusticity |
Very hardy, wild daisies tolerate frosts down to -40°C, horticultural forms up to -15°C. |
The daisy has become naturalized in all temperate regions of the globe, forming large carpets which liven up areas of trampled short grass such as roadsides, meadows or poorly maintained lawns.
Horticultural forms are appreciated in spring beds in cities, on borders or in pots where they are often grown as annuals or biennials.
Apart from the roots, everything in the daisy is edible!
How to sow daisies?
Sow between
June and August
in a semi-shaded area where you have worked the surface soil finely.
The ideal rising temperature is between 15 and 20°C.
Broadcast sow as light as possible.
Then spread a thin layer of potting soil over the seedling then pack it down with a board or the back of the rake.
Finally thin out every 20 cm then plant in the fall.
Sowing can also be done in a terrine placed under a cold shelter.
Also read: Daisy in bloom: for a garden with a country atmosphere
How to plant daisies?
The daisy is a perennial that adapts to all temperate climates and appreciates any good, cool, loam soil, especially in winter and spring.
Thanks to its stolons, it renews its rosettes over the years and also multiplies by seed.
The horticultural forms almost stop flowering after 2 years so that they are cultivated like biennials, with sowing in summer, so they flower the following spring.
The daisy is a perennial that adapts to all temperate climates and appreciates any good, cool, loam soil, especially in winter and spring.
Copyright (c) 2016 RukiMedia/Shutterstock.
No use without permission.
Planting can be done in October-November as for pansies, primroses, forget-me-nots and tulips, or
in February-March
.
The plant resists cold very well but can suffer from a lack of water.
Space the plants 15 cm apart in loosened soil, enriched with compost;
Remember to water it after a long period of frost.
The daisy, a flower for insects
The single or double flowers, even hemispherical in shape as in the 'Pomponette' types, reach 25 to 35 mm in diameter.
There are disheveled shapes with tapered “petals”.
The flowering of wild daisies in spring attracts many foragers, such as hoverflies, from the end of winter until June or even until fall.
Sensitive to the brightness and humidity of the air, the flower heads follow the path of the sun and close in the evening.
Horticultural varieties are less attractive to foragers.
The flowering of wild daisies in spring attracts many foragers from late winter until June.
Copyright (c) 2023 Lancan/Shutterstock.
No use without permission.
Varieties of horticultural daisies
Type 'Tapis':
small, very double flowers from autumn, 12 cm high;
Type 'Pomponette'
: very floriferous, emits hemispherical flower heads with piped ligules at 15 cm in height.
Ideal for borders or containers;
Type with large flowers
like 'Robella': flower heads 4 to 5 cm wide, simple, semi-double or double with a slightly ruffled appearance;
Type with monstrous flowers
like 'Habanera': very large flowers, 6 cm in diameter, with tapered petals, 15 cm high.