Ornamental · Asteraceae
Shasta Daisy
Leucanthemum × superbum
Hand it sun and soil that drains, and it'll pump out crisp white daisies all summer.
Full sun
Every 7–10 days
USDA 5–9
12–35 in · 30–90 cm
Overview
You know the flower even if you don't know the name: the tidy white daisy with a bright yellow eye, standing tall on straight stems over dark green leaves. It's a garden hybrid in the aster family, worked up from the wild oxeye daisy to be a bit tougher and a lot showier. Get it settled in a good spot and it'll come back on its own, flowering from June into September.
So what does it actually want? Not much. Just full sun and soil that drains well, and it'll shrug off heat and dry spells without complaining. The one thing it can't stand is wet feet, because soggy winter ground rots the crown and that's the end of the plant.
There's a size for every spot, from short front-of-border types to tall ones you can cut for a vase. It's a short-lived perennial, though, so you'll want to split the clumps every couple of years to keep them full and blooming. And hey, every split means free plants, so that's a win.
Care
The short version: sun and sharp drainage matter most, only water once the top half of the soil's gone dry, keep pinching off the dead flowers all summer, and divide the clump every 2 to 3 years so it doesn't run out of steam.
Light
These bloom their best in full sun, which is about six hours or more of direct light a day. A bit of afternoon shade won't hurt, but pile on too much and you'll end up with floppy stems and hardly any flowers.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry out first, which usually means watering every 7 to 10 days or so. Once it's established it's genuinely drought tough, so honestly the bigger worry is giving it too much water, especially over winter.
Soil
It's not fussy about soil, whether that's loam, clay, or sand, as long as it drains. pH doesn't bother it either, anywhere from 6.0 to 8.0 is fine, but drainage is the deal-breaker, since wet feet will rot the crown.
Humidity
Don't overthink humidity, regular outdoor air is plenty. What really counts is decent airflow, because damp, crowded leaves are exactly what leaf spot and crown rot love.
Feeding
It's not a big eater, so a light dose of balanced general-purpose fertilizer in spring does the trick. Go heavy on rich soil or fertilizer and you'll just get soft, floppy growth instead of sturdy stems.
Pruning
Keep snipping off the spent flowers through the season and it'll keep sending up new buds. Once the big flush is over, cut the stems right back to the low leaves, which perks the plant up and gets a little more life out of this short-lived perennial.
Size & spacing
Depending on the type, you're looking at plants 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) tall in a clump about 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) wide. Give each one that kind of room so the air can move and disease stays away.
When to plant
The timing's pretty relaxed. Start seeds indoors toward the end of winter, pop the young plants outside once the hard frosts are done, and you'll get flowers from June into September. Early spring is also when you'll want to dig up and split any older clumps.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: Spring after danger of hard frost has passed
- Harvest: June to September
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Here's the good news: nearly every hiccup comes down to soggy soil or a clump that's just gotten old. Catch the early signs on the leaves and crown and you can usually sort things out before you lose the plant. Find what matches below, then jump on it.
Wilting and flopping over even though it's watered
If a daisy's drooping and falling over while the soil's plenty moist, the problem's down at the roots. Poor drainage lets verticillium wilt or crown and root rot take hold, and once the crown turns soft and brown, that plant's done. Pull the goners, fix the drainage, and split any healthy crowns into a spot that drains better.
Fix:
- Remove and discard severely affected plants
- Improve drainage and avoid overwatering
- Divide and replant healthy crowns in a better-drained site
A dead middle with flowers only around the edge
When a clump only blooms around the outside and dies out in the center, it's simply outgrown its spot and it's basically begging to be split. Dig it up in early spring, chuck the woody dead middle, and replant the healthy outer chunks to get the flowers going again.
Fix:
- Divide the clump in early spring
- Replant vigorous outer divisions and discard the woody center
Dark spots showing up across the leaves
Spots that spread when the weather's damp usually mean fungal or bacterial leaf spot, and they'll hit the bottom leaves first. It's an easy fix, though. Pick off the spotty leaves, try to keep water off the foliage, and space things out so the air can get through.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering
- Improve air circulation
Twisted tips, sticky leaves, or fine speckles
Curled-up tips with a sticky film? That's usually aphids going after the soft new growth. But if the leaves look mottled and speckled or have faint squiggly trails, you're probably dealing with spider mites or leaf miners. Blast the aphids off with a strong spray of water, only reach for insecticidal soap if they really take over, and just pull off any mined leaves.
Fix:
- Hose off aphids with a strong stream of water
- Apply insecticidal soap if infestation is heavy
- Remove and destroy mined leaves
Toxicity
So, is it safe around pets? Mostly, but not completely. It's a cousin of the toxic chrysanthemum and carries the same sort of pyrethrin-like sesquiterpenes, so a pet that chews the leaves or flowers might drool, throw up, or get a bit of a rash. It's usually mild and the bitter taste stops most animals fast, but it's still smart to keep nosy pets and little kids from snacking on it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that gets curious and chews a leaf might drool, gag, or throw up, and the sap can leave its mouth or skin a little sore. Luckily the bitter taste usually stops cats before they eat enough to really matter.
Dogs Mild
A dog that wolfs down a few flower heads can get an upset tummy with drooling and loose stools. And handling the cut stems? That can bring on a mild, itchy rash on dogs with thin skin.
Horses Mild
Horses mostly leave the bitter leaves alone, but a grazed mouthful can cause some drooling and a quick bout of belly upset. If the sap touches the muzzle, it might leave it a bit irritated.
Rabbits Caution
Those same pyrethrin-like compounds make it a bad idea for rabbits, so it's safest kept out of reach. Just give them their usual greens instead of letting them nibble the foliage.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep pretty much always skip the bitter plant, but a hungry one that eats a lot could end up with a mild case of digestive upset. Keep it out of overgrazed paddocks and you're fine.
Birds Caution
Birds don't have much reason to eat it, and since those irritant compounds are in there, it's smart to keep cage birds away from the cut flowers. Wild birds stopping by for seed are totally fine.
People Caution
None of a Shasta daisy is meant to be eaten, and the sap can leave sensitive skin red and itchy after you handle it. Keep little kids from chewing the flowers, though one stray petal is nothing to stress about.
Most pets ignore the bitter foliage; a nibble may cause mild stomach upset or skin irritation rather than serious harm.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Breeders have had fun with this one, so there's a good mix of heights and flower shapes out there. Here are the ones worth knowing by name.
Becky
A tall one that hits 3 to 4 feet on stems stiff enough to skip the staking, holding up 3 to 4 inch white flowers around yellow centers.
Crazy Daisy
A double-flowered type with frilly, kind of shaggy petals that make each bloom look fuller and looser.
Snowcap
A little compact one that stops at just 15 to 18 inches, great for the front of a bed or in a pot.
How to propagate
Want more of them? Easy. You can make exact copies of a favorite cultivar or just raise a bunch of seedlings to fill out a bed.
DivisionEasy
Early spring, every 2 to 3 years · One growing season to re-establish and resume strong flowering
If you want a clump to stay young, dividing it is the way to go, and early spring every 2 to 3 years is the moment. Dig it up, toss the woody dead center, and replant the good outer pieces in soil that drains well. Give them a full season and they'll settle in and flower strong again.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, or sow outdoors in spring · Often blooms the first or second year from seed depending on sowing time
The species and loads of cultivars grow easily from seed, whether you start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or scatter them outside in spring. Plants from seed often flower in their first or second year. The catch? Named cultivars only stay true if you divide them, so go that route for those.
Myths
Shasta daisies are totally safe, so a pet can eat all it wants.
They're in the same family as the toxic chrysanthemum and carry the same pyrethrin-like sesquiterpenes, so a pet that chews them can drool, throw up, or break out in a rash. A bitter Shasta daisy is a mild irritant, not a snack, even though it's way less dangerous than an actual mum.
Shasta daisies are tough, long-lived perennials that never need a thing.
Not quite, they're short-lived, and a clump goes downhill fast if you don't divide it every 2 to 3 years. Good drainage and a hard cut-back after blooming are what keep them around, so a little effort buys you a few more years.