Leucanthemum superbum seed
LATIN NAME: Leucanthemum x superbum
COMMON NAME: Shasta Daisy
The Shasta daisy is the big, white, cheerful daisy of the summer borders. The sturdy, clump-forming, perennial herb carries the dark-green, spoon-shaped leaves at the base, and the large, single and semi-double flower heads with the pure-white petals and the golden-yellow centres open through the whole summer, one of the great cut flowers of the garden. The plant is a fine, easy, generous addition to the sunny border and the cutting patch. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Shasta daisy has carved a quiet but solid place in the plant science, and the herb has been studied for the large, pure-white flower heads and the golden-yellow centres. Researchers have looked at the way the daisy was bred from the wild species into the fine, big-flowered garden plant, and it keeps showing up in the work on the ornamental perennials and the cut flowers. The dark-green, spoon-shaped leaves and the sturdy, clumping habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the Shasta daisy is a regular subject of the studies of the daisy family and the flower borders.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The Shasta daisy does a lot of work in the garden and the vase. The large, pure-white flower heads are one of the great cut flowers of the garden, lasting well in the vase and the bouquet, and the plant keeps up its fine, cheerful display through the whole summer. The sturdy clumps are an easy, dependable filler of the sunny border, and the golden-yellow centres feed the bees and the hoverflies. It has drawn attention in the international horticultural press for the fine, white flowers and the ease of the plant, and it is a fine, generous plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.
The Shasta daisy is one of the great cut flowers of the summer border, and the large, pure-white petals with the golden-yellow centres last well in the vase. The sturdy clumps are easy to divide and pass on, and the plant keeps up its fine, cheerful display from the early summer to the autumn.
To grow the Shasta daisy from seed, scatter the fine seeds over the surface of trays of moist, free-draining soil and press them in lightly, keep them in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings come up within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. Give them the sun and the well-drained ground, and the big, white, golden-centred daisies will open through the summer.
Common Name: Shasta Daisy
Often compared to the award-winning ‘Becky’, this new selection displays the same exemplary garden performance. Very large, 4in, white flowers are semi-double and are held on starkly upright stems.
Shasta Daisies are all-time favorites for the perennial border. The cheery flowers begin to appear in early summer and continue on for several months if faithfully deadheaded. Shastas mix so effortlessly with other perennials that no garden should be without them. Photo courtesy of walters gardens.