Designer DAISIES

Wordsworth called them the poet’s darling, but despite endless references in literature to these cheerful little flowers, many of us tend to take them for granted. I’ve turned over a new leaf and planted three – a purple one to match some recently acquired hebes and two brick red ones because

I was seduced by the colour.

If you’re keen to plant daisies but don’t know which kind, stay away from Auntie Google, who will give you the choice of Spanish Daisy, Blue Daisy, Lazy Daisy or Prairie Daisy, African Daisy, Michaelmas Daisy, Swan River Daisy, Painted Daisy, Paris Daisy, Shasta Daisy, Crown-Daisy, Ox-eye Daisy, Nippon Oxeye Daisy, Giant Daisy, African Daisy, Kingfisher Daisy, Sunshine Daisy, Gerbera Daisy, Transvaal Daisy or Barberton Daisy, Tahoka Daisy, Livingstone Daisy, Gloriosa Daisy, Dahlberg Daisy, Butter Daisy, Shasta daisy and quite a few more. Confused? Not surprising. So unless you’re planning to become a daisy guru, best go for Marguerite or Federation, which are probably the most commonly seen in our garden centres.

Given a sunny spot and well-drained soil, Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum frutescens) grow into a small shrub about a metre by a metre. They don’t get grumpy about lack of water and poor soil, but they’re not fond of frost, which can damage the buds.

Thrips are about the only pest that bothers them and then not so much. Federation daisies also like sun, although they will tolerate some shade and welldrained soil. They’re not drought tolerant, though, so keep them well watered. The centre of the bush will start to yellow if they’re not getting enough to drink. Otherwise, give them a feed at the beginning of spring, the occasional trim to encourage more flowers and a deep layer of mulch to conserve moisture.