The Top 25 Daisies

#1: Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)

@jmorth says, "Definitely one of my favorite flowers. Years ago my garden received its first Rudbeckia hirta. I'm not sure which variety came first; it performed well, and to my delight some of the originals survived that winter. The following spring I noted quite a few new seedlings and ascertained it was a self-seeder. The winter before that spring, I'd started a couple of different varieties under lights in the basement, subsequently transplanting them into the garden, where they (and the few survivors and their offspring) again made a most favorable impression on me. The next season, I started yet another variety or two and translocated those new plants in amongst the ones already in the garden. This was probably the first time I noted some of the self-seeded ones weren't necessarily like their parents in form or bloom. Some of these new forms displayed distinguishable characteristics of different parental lines on the same plant! I concluded the original varieties were getting crossed naturally and their offspring would inevitability present different characteristics. The originals planted in those formulative gardening years were Cherokee Sunset, Green Eyes, Prairie Sun, Chim Chiminee, and Irish Eyes.
Every season thereafter has found me in a state of eager anticipation as to what new presentations I would discover where the 'Rudy's' grow. Every year since, something new has blessed my visual palette. Some are amazingly beautiful, some downright bizarre, but always something new."

#2: Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

@plantladylin says, "Gerbera Daisy is a perennial native to South Africa. It grows in a mounding/clumping form and has deeply lobed leaves. The inflorescence is borne on a 12" to 18" stalk arising from the basal rosette of leaves.

The Gerbera Daisy is one of my favorite summer perennials. They come in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, pink and cream. I've grown the red and yellow varieties in my garden for many years."

#3: Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

@robertduval14 says, "Native in my area."

@gardengus added, "This is an introduced perennial, native to Europe and Asia. Considered a noxious weed in several states.
I have this plant in my garden and find this classic daisy a good bloomer that provides almost endless cut flowers for a small arrangement.
It blooms earlier than all the other garden daisies.
The almost lacy leaves leave air and visibility to the other perennials nearby.(not a space hog)"

#4: Aster (Aster x frikartii 'Monch')

@Marilyn says, "My very favorite Aster to grow! Love everything about it! The butterflies love the flowers too!"

@bonitin added, "Gorgeous Aster! I was really impressed when I saw it in my brother's garden!
Healthy plant too, resistant to mildew, can stand drought.
Parents are the Italian Aster amellus and a Himalayan species Aster thomsonii."

#5: Cowpen Daisy (Verbesina encelioides)

@imabirdnut says, "Great Fall nectar plant for Monarch Migration! It is a host plant for Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)."

@piksihk added, "Self-sowed freely and grew through our mild winters, resulting in large clumps."

#6: Chocolate daisy (Berlandiera lyrata)

@BookerC1 says, "Information from Chocolate Flower Farm seeds:
Golden-yellow flowers with brown/green centers have a delicious chocolate fragrance, especially in the morning. Drought tolerant Southwest native. Attracts butterflies, beneficial insects, and chocolate lovers to your garden. Seed heads are attractive in dried arrangements. Also called Chocolate Daisy and Green Eyes (because centers are green when flowers temporarily droop in afternoon heat.)

Sow outside in spring after average frost when soil temperatures are warm.

Sow inside 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Barely cover the seeds. Germinates in 2-3 weeks at 65-70 degrees. Hardy in zones 5-10."

#7: Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun')

@jmorth says, "Self-seeds and readily crosses with other Rudbeckias. Resultant presentation is a yearly surprise."

#8: Star Daisy (Melampodium paludosum)

@chelle says, "This is now one of my favorite plants!

From my first year observations: It needs no special care, no extra water, is bug and disease free, and to top it all off - it never seems to have an *off* day. The new flowers are borne above the old, so as the earlier blooms fade and begin to set seed they're covered and hidden by the upper new growth. They need no dead-heading for beauty's sake. I've not even seen a brown leaf. How does it do it?

Definitely a *thumbs-up* in my gardens!"

#9: Dahlberg Daisy (Dyssodia tenuiloba)

@sheryl says, "This plant is commonly known by a number of names, and there is some controversy as to its scientific name - T. tenuiloba may actually be T.pentachaeta. Regardless, Golden Fleece is a reseeding, short-lived perennial in zones 9-11, elsewhere it is a popular annual. Its dainty appearance belies its toughness; this is an excellent choice for hot, dry areas. The tiny, bright yellow, daisy-shaped blooms are offset by delicate, ferny foliage. It thrives in poorer soil but requires excellent drainage."

#10: Common Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

@wildflowers says, "Considered a weed by some, the pretty little daisy-like wildflower blooms in April. It’s native to Texas and most of the U.S. and is found growing along roadsides and in fields and woodlands. Biennial or short-lived perennial plant grows up to 2½' and unbranched, except near the inflorescence. The pollen or nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, beetles, Carpenter bees, Nomadine Cuckoo bees, Green Metallic bees and other Halictine bees, Eumenine wasps, Tachinid flies, and Thick-Head flies. Caterpillars of Lynx Flower Moth eat the flowers and seed capsules."

#11: Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)

@eclayne says, "Hybrid formula: Leucanthemum maximum x Leucanthemum lacustre"

#12: English Daisy (Bellis perennis)

@Bonehead says, "Introduced from Europe, is now widely established and included as a native plant in the Pacific Northwest. I have several happy colonies coexisting in my front lawn. Mowing just seems to bring on more flowers. Named after the Belides, one of whom died in fear of Vertumnus, the god of spring, and sank to the earth in the form of a daisy. Mine range from white to hot pink."

#13: Nippon Daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)

@sandnsea2 says, "This is one tough plant. It has been moved three times in my garden, and came back strong. It blooms very late in the gardening year and is much appreciated at that time. It can easily be divided and this very long lived perennial will give you a reliable performance every Fall. I have had this in my garden for over 5 years now and feel it is an underused plant."

#14: Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky')

@SongofJoy says, "This was the Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year for 2003. It's great because it's beautiful, growing up to 3 feet tall with 4-5 inch flower head. It flowers from summer to fall if deadheaded occasionally, the flower stalks stand up in hard summer rains, it is great for northern as well as southern gardeners, and the flowers make great cut flowers. Give it full sun and average soil. This one is very prolific and very hardy here. It grows vigorously and multiplies rapidly. (Sunlight Gardens)"

#15: Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snowcap')

@Newyorkrita says, "Snowcap is a nice short plant, but it still has the same large and lovely white flowers that the taller Shasta Daisies do. I needed something short to put in front of the border and right next to the grassy walkway that would show off well and not grow tall enough to flop over the pathway. Snowcap worked perfectly.

Rita on Long Island, New York zone 6, where it is humid during our summers."

#16: Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstsonne')

@imabirdnut says, "Planted last fall. First summer & it is blooming in the heat of August. Likes a more moist bed & will probably move it over the fall to a more suitable location that is watered daily."

@eclayne added, "The Missouri Botanical Garden notes this as Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' and "...varyingly sold as a cultivar of either Rudbeckia nitida or Rudbeckia laciniata..."
http://www.missouribotanicalga...
The Royal Horticultural Society lists as Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstsonne'.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticu...

Various retail sellers misspell the cultivar name as 'Herbstonne'."

#17: Mount Atlas Daisy (Anacyclus pyrethrum)

@gardengus says, "A great flower for a small place. It grows well in rocky dry places and will self seed . Would do well in a rock garden .
The plant is greyish silver with small white daises that close at night and show the pink/red color under the petals.
I have found it a bit hard to transplant because it likes dry soil and I tend to water my new transplants too much. Adding a bit of pea gravel or rock to the soil helps."

#18: Creeping Daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata)

@plantladylin says, "Creeping Daisy, a native of tropical Central America, is a creeping, mat-forming herb with pretty yellow daisy like blooms. It has become naturalized in other tropical areas of the world where it has escaped cultivation. When the stems of Creeping Daisy touch the ground, they take root and spread, forming a dense ground cover. In some areas the plant is considered invasive, displacing native plants.

This plant has become a ground cover in my back yard, trailing through half of the lawn, where it's displacing the sod. It started with a single node leaf cutting that I first grew in a hanging basket. It eventually escaped the basket and took root in a flower bed, spreading to the lawn. That's not necessarily a bad thing because it doesn't seem to need the water and fertilizer the sod requires!"

#19: African Daisy (Osteospermum ecklonis)

@plantladylin says, "Osteospermum ecklonis is a great ornamental plant. I love all of the colors but I think the purple is my all-time favorite. Cape Daisies are wonderful planted in a bed as a single color massed together, or in groups of mixed colors. I've grown them in my garden for the past ten years as well as in containers on the patio."

#20: African Daisy (Osteospermum)

@jmorth says, "Good for sunny borders and baskets."

#21: Larkdaisy (Centratherum punctatum)

@gardengus says, "I like this plant enough to grow it even if I get very little bloom time in zone 5 .
It is one of the last plants to bloom before freeze.
Discovered they bloom earlier in the ground than in a pot."

#22: Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)

@imabirdnut says, "Blooming in the heat of Texas summer!"

#23: African Daisy (Osteospermum ecklonis Zion™ Copper Amethyst)

@robertduval14 says, "Stunning blend of color on these. Bloomed all throughout spring/summer/and fall with deadheading."

#24: Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

@jmorth says, "Wildflower - likes to colonize open woods, dry prairies, fields, pastures, road sides, and disturbed areas."

#25: Sneezeweed (Helenium 'Double Trouble')

@clintbrown says, "Very hardy."

#26: Blue Lace Flower (Trachymene coerulea)

@chelle says, "I found this to be a particularly fussy plant in our hot and dry summer conditions. Out of approximately ten specimens transplanted into different areas of my gardens, only one survived to bloom stage. The lone survivor was planted in a light but moisture-retentive substrate made up primarily of composted horse manure; with its roots shaded by other plants."