Re: shasta daisies

Thanks for all the info. Karen - and thanks all who have responded. 
I've had this one for so many years the name is lost in the mists of
time.  Well, whacked back one lot of them today and will attack
another tomorrow and we shall see.  This plant has survived the most
incredible abuse and neglect and keeps right on growing...it grows
and flowers in the most inhospitable locations for a daisy...but has
always flopped whether in sun or shade.  I keep it just because it's
survived:-)

Claire, I had a plant of the Oxeye daisy show up a couple of years
ago and, since I didn't get around to weeding it out before I knew
what it was, I left it and it bloomed and bloomed and
bloomed...decided it could stay, but have always deadheaded as once I
figured out who it was, did not really want a thousand of them.  Am
enjoying it blooming now.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: Karen B. <abtrlife@earthlink.net>
> 
> 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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