Barely 3 to 6 inches tall, the lawn daisy (Bellis perennis) shuts its flowers at night and opens them again at dawn, renewing its bloom over and over from late spring to mid-autumn. Grown in beds, along edges or on rocky ground, it asks only a sunny spot and light, ordinary soil, then needs almost no care.
| Name | Bellis perennis |
|---|---|
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Type | perennial |
| Height | 3 to 6 inches (10 to 20 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary, rather light |
| Flowering | late spring to mid-autumn |
Here are our tips on caring for this plant from planting to blooming.
Sowing lawn daisy from seed is the easiest and fastest method to propagate your flowers.
Dates for sowing are in spring, towards May-June, and the seedlings will be transferred to the ground in fall.
If you’ve purchased your daisies in a horticulture store, you may plant it indifferently either in spring or fall.
In summer, planting of your lawn daisies can still be proceeded to, but take care to water more regularly.
Locate a nice sunny spot to plant your lawn daisy, it can really support the blooming.
Lawn daisies can be raised from seed, bought ready-grown, or kept in containers. The route you pick changes the timing and, above all, how much watering you sign up for.
| Route | When | What it involves | Watering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing from seed | late spring to early summer, planted out in autumn | Broadcast in a tray of seedling mix, prick out into nursery pots, then set out in the ground | Keep the substrate moist, and keep watering regularly |
| Plants bought in a store | spring or autumn, indifferently | Plant straight out in a nice sunny spot, in ordinary soil mixed with a bit of soil mix | Water when the soil has dried while the roots settle in |
| Plants bought in a store | summer | Still perfectly possible, avoiding compact and heavy soils | Water more regularly than for a spring or autumn planting |
| Pots and garden boxes | whenever the plants are set up | Same light, ordinary growing medium, in a sunny position | Needs are much higher, so watering must be regular |
Whichever route you take, a sunny spot and light soil count for more than the exact date.
Very easy to grow, a lawn daisy only needs very little care.
There are no known diseases or parasites, or even insects that would tend to weaken it.
In spring, remove wilted flowers regularly (deadheading) to stimulate the blooming.
This step aims at snipping all flower-bearing stems down from the crown head to stimulate lawn daisy growth while promoting the next flowering.
During planting, water when the soil has dried to help the root system get set up.
After that, there’s no need to water except in case of prolonged dry spells or heat waves.
Note that water needs of lawn daisy when grown potted or in garden boxes are much higher, so you’ll have to water regularly.
A plant for flower beds, edges or rocky land, the lawn daisy is spectacular in spring and summer thanks to its generous blooming which constantly renews itself.
The fruits that daisies beget are particularly attractive to insects who follow the scent it releases.
Like many herbaceous flowers, and other Asteraceae plants, a lawn daisy will close up at night and open up again at dawn.
This flower is known to grow in lawns, and since it’s so small, many will pop up unscathed after the lawn mower has subsided.
Lastly, note that the flower similar to the daisy that grows along stone walls, or sometimes between two rocks, called erigeron. It isn’t part of the same family. Another name for Erigeron is fleabane.
In order to trigger appearance of new flowers, remove wilted flowers regularly.
