Five Daisies for Your Garden

Daisies are also known as Compositae or Asteraceae.

Asters, bellis and sunflowers are all members of the daisy family.

However, I have noticed that if the weather is particularly gloomy, some of my plants don't open fully at all. I'm not going to weigh you down with detailed plant biology - suffice to say that they have the common feature of a round center surrounded by a circle of petals, which come in various shapes and colors, but always radiate out from the center.

Here are some pictures of a few different types of daisy, to give you some ideas for your own planting. You'll love the colours.

Above are some orange osteospermum during the day when the petals have opened, and, below, you can see the same osteospermum plant in the early morning with closed petals.

I think they are particularly spectacular whilst being modest in colour. I have several groups of these particular ones in my garden because they blend in with all the other more brightly toned flowers and make a splendid low back-drop.

Erigeron is a herbaceous perennial, which means that it comes up year after year. The nectar of Erigeron or Fleabane attracts bees and butterflies. The various cultivars and species have a range of colors from purple to pink to white. Erigeron flowers in summer and likes fertile soil with good drainage that does not dry out, and full sun with mid-day shade. They are low-lying plants, and are therefore useful as garden edging or in a rockery or cottage garden.

Dead-heading the flowers of erigeron as they die off will encourage it to produce more flowers. Erigeron should be cut back after flowering.

Erigeron can become invasive, so make sure to keep it under control so that it doesn't take over your border.

Bellis is a low-lying daisy plant, very pretty

Bellis wiill grow in full sun or part shade and likes well drained but moist soil.

Bellis is a short plant which grows in clumps and flowers in spring and summer. It is a perennial but usually grown as a biennial (sow the seeds in one year to flower the following year). It doesn't need to be pruned.

I must confess - I have never had much luck with bellis, and have deduced that forgetting to water them is not a good thing.

Marigolds are Annual or Biennial with a height between 0.5 and 1 metres. They have a range of orange tones from a wonderful fiery orange to a glowing orange-yellow and even a creamy yellow.

Marigolds like full sun or partial shade and do best in poor soil which is well-drained. If you deadhead marigolds regularly, it will prolong flowering and if you pinch out terminal shoots it wll encourage bushy growth. They need to be cut back after they have flowered.

Marguerites normally bear a profusion of white flowers, growing to a height of 0.5 - 1 metres. There are also some pink and pale yellow cultivars.

Marguerites like full sun and moderately fertile soil which is well-drained. Deadheading will prolong flowering, and pinching the growing tips will keep the plants compact. Mulching is beneficial, to save them drying out in summer, and to protect the roots from frost.

Here it is:

Daisy, Daisy

Daisy, Daisy, Give me Your Answer Do

I'm half crazy over my love for you

It won't be a stylish marriage

I can't afford a carriage

Buy you'll look sweet

Upon the seat

Of a bicycle made for two!

I remember going on picnics and making daisy chains, sitting in the sunshine on a summer's day

This is the secret of making a good, strong daisy chain:

• Pick daisies which have strong stems, and try not to squash the stem when you make a hole in it.
• pick about 10 daisies
• Make a small split or hole near the head of each daisy
• Thread a daisy stem through one of the daisies
• Thread another daisy stem through the daisy you have just threaded
• Carry on until you have a long chain of daisies, each threaded through the next one, and finally join up the first daisy to the last daisy;

You can make daisy chains of varying lengths, to use as a necklace, bracelet or garland round the head