Shasta daisy lovers will rejoice as the Amazing Daisy collection is more than doubling with the addition of three new varieties for 2022. The Garden Guy can hardly wait to get his hands on Amazing Daisy Marshmallow.
This Shasta is nothing short of riveting in its appearance. Indeed, it looks good enough to eat, and when I look at it, I feel like it has a little coconut drizzle. The glistening white flowers are large, double and puffy, reaching 3 1/2 inches wide.
If Marshmallow sounded good enough to eat, just wait until you see Amazing Daisy Banana Cream II. This banana-colored Shasta holds the color longer before turning white. They are also quicker to bloom and even more floriferous than the original Banana Cream, which is still considered a favorite.
The last new introduction for the 2022 collection is Amazing Daisy Spun Silk. This stunning daisy will be on all collectors' must-have list as it features long narrow petals with fringed edges giving a spidery look. The flowers are large too, reaching 4 1/2 inches wide.
These new introductions get about 24 inches tall with an equal spread. Marshmallow is a little shorter topping out at 22 inches. They are considered perennial in zones 5-9 the quintessential cottage flowers to be planted in sweeps or drifts with blue salvias, yellow coreopsis, rudbeckias and coneflowers or echinacea.
Son James always pushes the envelope and thus has taught me over the years that Shasta daisies like Banana Cream or Daisy May can bring this same floral show to containers and tubs to be enjoyed in commercial settings by customers going to shop or dine in local restaurants. These pristine white blooms indeed light up the spring and summer garden like few other flowers.
No matter the variety you select, know they will need at least six hours of sun and wonderfully tolerate a little afternoon shifting shade. The soil must be fertile, organic rich, moist and very well-drained. If plagued by tight, heavy soil that doesn’t drain, then amend with 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and till to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. This regimen gives clear indication why they have the ability to work so well in mixed containers as potting soil certainly drains freely.
Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart. Plant at the same depth they are growing in the container. Apply a layer of mulch after planting. Of course, in mixed, designer-type containers, you’ll be using the Shasta most likely as a pocket or filler plant complementing all the other companions.
Maintain moisture through the long hot summer and feed with a light application of fertilizer every four to six weeks. Keep the flowers deadheaded for both a tidy look and increased flower production as these vigorous varieties often are known to repeat.
Divide in the fall, spacing as recommended. This will be a yearly event in the South if you want the best blooms and healthiest plants. In the exclusive shopping center mixed containers, the plants will be removed in time for cool season color, but they did their job, as the shopping experience felt as though you were in the Garden of Eden.
You, on the other hand, can leave yours in the container, or better yet move them to the landscape in the fall. Shasta daisies have the ability to give the gardeners years of perennial performance with just a little work.
____
(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)
(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)
