Gardening Flowers Perennials How to Plant and Grow English Daisy This pretty cool-season perennial is often grown as an annual in areas with hot summers. By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on April 7, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article View All In This Article Where to Plant Planting Tips Care Pests and Problems Propagation Types Companion Plants FAQ A wonderful cool-season perennial, English daisy plants create beautiful, low mats of foliage topped with neat blooms. They boast cheery blooms as long as the weather isn’t too hot. English daisies are perennials but they are often treated as annuals due to their temperamental nature in the heat of the summer. This low-growing plant makes a great companion to other cool-season plants like pansies and ornamental kale. English daisy is toxic to humans. English Daisy Overview Genus Name Bellis perennis Common Name English Daisy Plant Type Perennial Light Part Sun, Sun Height 6 to 12 inches Width 6 to 12 inches Flower Color Pink, Red, White Foliage Color Blue/Green Season Features Fall Bloom, Spring Bloom, Summer Bloom Special Features Cut Flowers, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance Zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Propagation Seed Where to Plant English Daisy Especially at the upper range of its climate range, zone 6 and above, English daisy should be given a spot in partial shade where it is sheltered from heat and intensive sunlight. It needs soil with excellent drainage but can grow in acid, alkaline, and neutral soil. Because it is a low-growing plant, English daisy is ideal for rock gardens, flower bulb beds, and containers but keep in mind that once hot summer weather hits, English daisy will stop blooming and often vanishes completely, thus behaving more like an annual, leaving a bare spot that you might want to fill with another plant. How and When to Plant English Daisy As a plant that thrives in cool weather, English daisy is planted in the spring. Because the flowers are small, planting it in clusters or drifts creates the best effect. You can space the plants as little as 4 to 5 inches apart to form a dense carpet. Dig a hole that has the depth of the root ball and is twice as big. English Daisy Care Tips Light 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. Soil and Water 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. Temperature and Humidity 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. Fertilizer To encourage an extended bloom, fertilize the plants with a slow-release balanced fertilizer about once a month during spring and early summer. Pruning 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. Potting and Repotting English daisies Because of their low growth habit, English daisies make good container plants. However, once they are past their bloom time, they look a little weedy and they are often discarded. If you want to grow English daisies in containers, is it best to start with fresh plants every spring. Plant them in a container with large drain holes in well-draining potting mix. Pests and Problems Generally, English daisies are not plagued by serious pests and diseases other than some aphids and thrips on the plants. The white English daisies popping up in lawns, which are different from the colorful cultivated varieties sold by nurseries and seed catalogs, are considered a lawn and turfgrass weed. How to Propagate English Daisy English daisy is primarily grown from seed. To get a head start on the growing season and have them bloom earlier, start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Cover the seeds with ¼ inch of soil. Germination occurs in 7 to 14 days. Keep the soil evenly moist. To start English daisies from seed outdoors, wait until all danger of frost has passed. Types of English Daisy 'Galaxy Red' English Daisy Peter Krumhardt 'Galaxy Red' is a variety in the Galaxy Series. Others are 'Galaxy Rose' and 'Galaxy White'. All form low-growing carpets of daisies with a bright yellow eye. 'Habanera Mix' English Daisy Justin Hancock 'Habanera Mix' offers large, double flowers in pink, red, and white on 6-inch plants. 'Pomponette' English Daisy Andrew Drake 'Pomponette' is a mix of red, rose, and white double daisies with quilled petals. 'Tasso Pink' English Daisy Justin Hancock This variety produces double soft pink flowers on compact 6-inch plants. English Daisy Companion Plants Dianthus Denny Schrock The quintessential cottage flower is treasured for its grass-like blue-green foliage and abundant starry flowers, which are often spicily fragrant. Flowers appear in spring or summer and tend to be pink, red, white, rose, or lavender; 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. Pansy Peter Krumhardt From tiny, cheerful Johnny jump-ups to the stunning 3-inch blooms of ‘Majestic Giant’ pansies, pansies offer a spectacular array of delightful plants for the spring garden. They don't mind cold weather and can even take a little snow and ice. Pansies are pretty when planted in masses in garden soil but are also beloved in pots and 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. Snapdragon Lynn Karlin Few gardens should be without the easy charm of snapdragons. The blooms come in gorgeous colors, including some with beautiful variations on each flower. Snapdragons are also outstanding cut flowers. Snapdragons are especially useful because they're a cool-season annual. 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. Frequently Asked Questions Are English daisies invasive? The plant is also referred to as lawn daisy because of its ability to establish in lawns almost to the point of invasiveness. English daisy 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. What are the colors of English daisies? Originally, the only varieties available had single rows of petals with a yellow center. Now the flowers are often sold in double forms, with blossoms so full of petals you can't even see the center. These beauties come in a variety of pink and red shades, blending all the way into white. What is the difference between an English daisy and a shasta daisy? The flowers of shasta daisies and English daisies are very similar but you can easily distinguish the two plants. Shasta daisies grow much taller, often reaching a 2 to 3 feet in height. They tolerate heat better than English daisies. Their flowers are also different from English daisies, which a much larger yellow center. And, finally, shasta daisies don’t come in the same range of colors, shasta daisies are mostly white, with some cream-colored and yellow varieties. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Better Homes & Gardens is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about our editorial policies and standards to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. "Bellis perennis." North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.