Popular summers flower for beds and borders as well as city, cottage, and courtyard gardens, cheery Shasta daisies are valued for the masses of snow white flowers with bright, sunshine yellow center discs.
They make delightful container plants too, adding their long flowering season to a variety of settings such as balconies, decks, and patios, or scattered throughout the landscape.
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Blooming all summer, the adorable ray-like flowers attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies and also draw in beneficial predator insects like ladybugs and lacewings.
Hardy and vigorous, these clumping perennials are also easy to grow and herbivores like deer and rabbits typically don’t bother them.
In our guide to growing Shasta daisies, we cover how to cultivate these perennials in the landscape.
Is your container garden in need of some long-lasting, radiant blooms this summer? Then let’s shine a light on how to grow Shasta daisies in containers.
Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead:
Shasta Daisy Basics
Shasta daisies prefer a full sun location but are tolerant of a little light shade.
They need soil that’s rich in organic matter and well-draining, particularly in winter, and with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 5.5 to 7.0.
Although they can tolerate short bouts of drought once established, they do better with regular waterings, keeping the soil evenly moist.
Hardy in Zones 4 to 9, you should aim to plant out after all danger of frost has passed.
Shastas can be propagated by seed or division, but bear in mind the seed collected from hybrid plants may not grow true to the parent plant.
Container Choices
When choosing containers, opt for vessels large enough to accommodate the spreading roots, as these plants form clumps.
Pots with a minimum depth and diameter of 12 inches is a good starting size.
A variety of container materials are suitable, including ceramic, fiberglass, fiberstone, hypertufa, metal, terra cotta, and wood.
Since you can leave the plants outdoors during the winter in many regions, you’ll want to avoid container materials that are easily damaged by cold weather, such as ceramic and terra cotta.
Planters must have drainage holes in the bottom to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged – wet conditions can easily lead to crown collapse and root rot.
I like to line the bottom of my containers with a two-inch layer of chunky porous materials such as broken pottery, pebbles, or shells before adding soil. This helps to expedite drainage and prevent soggy soil at the deeper levels.
If you use pebbles, place them carefully so they don’t accidentally plug the drainage holes.
A layer of drainage material isn’t mandatory, but I find it makes a noticeable difference to the vigor of many potted plants – particularly those that don’t like wet feet, like Shasta daisies.
Place containers in a spot with full sun or morning sun with light afternoon shade.
If your containers are going to be kept on a balcony, courtyard, deck, or patio, use a catchment saucer to collect any water overflow and avoid staining surfaces.
To minimize staining even more, use pot toes to elevate containers and saucers away from surfaces such as bricks, decking, pavers, and tiles.
Planting
The ideal growing medium for Shasta daisies is soil that’s nutrient-rich with a loose, lofty composition and it must be well-draining.
For best results, use good quality commercial potting soil and amend as follows:
- Start with two parts potting soil.
- Mix in a generous one part of organic compost, well-rotted manure, or worm castings.
- Mix in one part of grit to sharpen the drainage and improve water saturation, using materials such as landscape sand, pea gravel, perlite, or stone chips.
Avoid using potting soils with a high peat moss content – peat is slow to absorb water and retains moisture in the soil. Wet soil can be problematic for the crown and roots.
Also, don’t use garden soil. Its composition is too heavy for container plants and it tends to compact easily.
Spring is the best time to pot up nursery plants, direct sow seeds, or start seeds indoors.
Pot up Shasta daisies in spring when all danger of frost has passed.
They can also be planted in fall, but spring planting gives the roots an entire growing season to become established before cold weather arrives.
Fill your containers with enriched and amended soil and create an appropriately sized planting hole – twice as wide and a little deeper than the root ball.
Mix in one or two tablespoons of bone meal to promote healthy root growth and enhance bud set.
Remove plants from their nursery containers and carefully brush away the soil to loosen the roots.
Set plants in place at the same depth as they were in their nursery containers – or with the crown or top of the root ball even with the soil line.
Backfill with soil and gently firm in place.
Water gently but thoroughly to settle in place, ensuring the entire root ball receives water.
To help retain moisture you can add a two-inch layer of mulch using materials such as shredded bark, decorative pebbles, or straw.
Make sure you leave a mulch-free space or collar around the base of the plant to avoid stem rot.
Sowing Seeds
To sow seeds directly, prepare your containers with amended soil as outlined above.
Sow seeds in mid to late spring, or when the soil temperature stays above 60°F.
They can also be sown throughout the summer until about two months before the first expected frost date.
Scatter seeds a few inches apart then cover with an eighth of an inch of soil.
Water gently and keep the soil lightly moist until after germination, which should happen in about 10 to 21 days.
When the seedlings are two inches tall, thin them to two or three plants 10 to 12 inches apart, depending on the size of your container.
Once seedlings are six inches tall, pinch out the growing tips to encourage branching and more flowers.
Start Seeds Indoors
To start plants earlier, sow them indoors about eight weeks before the last frost date.
- Prepare trays or small starter pots with a good quality starter soil mix that’s well-moistened but not soaking wet.
- Sprinkle the seeds over the soil then press lightly into the surface with your fingertips.
- Place the tray or pots in a warm location with bright, indirect light.
When the seedlings are two to four inches tall and have at least two sets of true leaves, you can harden off and transplant into their permanent pots. Make sure all risk of frost has passed!
Container Care
Shastas are relatively low maintenance and moderate feeders – avoid overfertilizing which can produce lanky growth and floppy stems.
You can use a slow-release, all-purpose fertilizer into the soil in spring.
Use a formula with a slightly higher level of phosphorus than nitrogen, or a balanced NPK ratio such as 4-4-4.
I use Burpee’s All Purpose Granular Plant Food which is versatile and suitable for many different flowering plants.
Burpee All Purpose Granular Plant Food
It’s available at Burpee in four-pound bags.
Alternatively, use a balanced liquid or water-soluble fertilizer applied at half strength every four to six weeks during the growing season.
Although these plants are quite durable and can withstand short bouts of dry conditions, for the most robust plants with ample flowers, aim to provide regular water in the absence of rain.
Water deeply to saturate the entire rootball then allow the top inch or two of soil to dry between applications.
In hot weather, container plants may need to be watered every few days to prevent them from drying out completely.
Always water at the soil level to avoid damp foliage as this can promote fungal growth.
Cultivars to Select
Shasta daisies are available in a nice selection of single and double varieties in white or pale yellow.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Banana Cream
‘Banana Cream’ has large, single flowers that open a bright lemony-yellow and gradually fade to soft creamy white. Each bloom is about three to four inches wide with golden yellow centers.
This cultivar has a long flowering period from early summer through early fall when deadheaded regularly.
‘Banana Cream’
The plants grow to about 18 to 24 inches tall with a compact, well-branched habit and strong stems.
You can find ‘Banana Cream’ plants available at Burpee.
Becky
‘Becky’ features single-petaled white flowers with golden yellow centers, measuring three to four inches across.
This cultivar is notably long-flowering, blooming from early summer through early fall, with excellent heat tolerance.
‘Becky’
It grows a bit taller than many Shasta daisies at three to four feet with sturdy stems. ‘Becky’ was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2003 by the Perennial Plant Association.
You can find ‘Becky’ in #1 containers available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Daisy May
Amazing Daisies® Daisy May® (also known as ‘Daisy Duke’) sports large, single white flowers with bright yellow centers, typically measuring two to three inches across.
This compact cultivar is notably long-flowering, blooming from late spring through early fall if you keep up with deadheading.
Daisy May
It grows to a modest height of 12 to 18 inches. The compact size and strong stems eliminate the need for staking, making it ideal for containers.
You can find Daisy May® available in #1 containers at Nature Hills Nursery.
Marshmallow
With large, fully double white flowers and no visible yellow centers when fully open, ‘Marshmallow’ is gorgeous in containers.
Each bloom measures approximately three to four inches in diameter on plants that reach heights of 18 to 24 inches.
‘Marshmallow’
This cultivar has a moderately long flowering period from early to late summer.
You can find ‘Marshmallow’ in #1 containers from Nature Hills Nursery.
Maintenance
These easy-care plants don’t require a lot of attention, but it’s a good idea to regularly deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
Shastas spread and clump readily, and benefit from being divided in spring or repotted into fresh soil every two or three years to avoid plants from becoming root bound.
In colder climates, the plants die back after the first hard frost and enter dormancy in winter.
Prepare them for winter by removing catchment saucers and adding a two- to four-inch layer of winter mulch.
Use materials such as shredded bark, chopped leaves, or straw to prevent the roots from heaving in freeze/thaw cycles.
For extra protection, move containers into a sheltered site.
Locations such as against a fence or foundation wall, under eaves, or tucked into shrubbery are usually a degree or two warmer than out in the open.
If your winters are very dry, water lightly every few weeks to prevent the soil drying out completely, provided the soil is frozen.
Prune back dead stems in early spring, cutting them back to about two inches.
Bright and Cheerful
With their bright, cheerful flowers that bloom all summer long, Shasta daisies are a reliable and easy choice for showy container gardens!
Pot up nursery plants in early spring or direct sow seeds once the air and soil temperatures warm up.
Remember to pinch out the growing tips to promote bushy growth, then water regularly and fertilize lightly for an abundance of sparkling blooms from June right into September!
Are you growing Shasta daisies in containers? Let us know in the comments section below.
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