Re: shasta daisies
- Subject: Re: shasta daisies
- From: K* B*
- Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2002 11:30:01 -0400
Marge Talt wrote:
> Once upon a time I thought I read some posts about whacking shasta
> daisies back about this time of year to keep them from flopping.
> Thought I'd saved these. Well, either I dreamed the whole thing or
> saved them somewhere really obscure because I can't find anything
> about this anywhere on this box.
>
> Was I dreaming? Does anyone do this? Mine tend to flop horribly
> once they start blooming and I'd be quite happy to figure a way to
> stop this without having to stake the bloody things.
Hi Marge,
I don't have personal experience with this either, but in a book entitled
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, she says:
"Taller forms can be pinched or cut back to produce shorter, more compact
plants that don't require staking and flower slightly later. This pruning
can also be used to layer a planting (or an individula plant),
effectively hiding the bare stems of taller unpruned daises."
From what it looks like, the time for you to cut back is now!! Under
things to prune in May she lists Shasta Daisy.
She also says:
"PRUNING: Deadheading can prolong bloom to amazing lengths, particularly
on first-year plants, which often will flower from June until frost.
Deadhead to lateral flower buds, and after all flowering from lateral
buds is finished and new basal growth is developing, cut plants down to
basal growth. Sporadic rebloom may occur, though the flowers are usually
smaller in size and numbers. ....Shasta daisies are often short-lived.
According to some authorities, one reason for the short life span may be
that shasta daisies flower themselves to exhaustion. By cutting the
plants down (as described above) in early September or before, vegetative
growth is stimulated, and plants can form buds for next year's shoots,
possibly extending the plant's life."
She also mentions they need frequent division (every 2-3 years) to
maintian vigor; need good winter drainage; avoid prolonged drought; are
heavy feeders; and like good air circulation.
Tracy has alot of very good info in this book. I'd recommend it to
anyone, especially us rookie gardeners.
Karen
z5a
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