Painted daisy

Questions about painted daisy

Does painted daisy need sun or shade?

Painted daisy grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does painted daisy grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does painted daisy flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should painted daisy be planted?

16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many painted daisy plants do I need?

At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.

Is painted daisy poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten. Handling the plant can irritate skin.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like painted daisy?

These come closest to doing what painted daisy does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Meadow sage: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; medium leaves, not fine.
• Tennessee coneflower: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid June to late August, wants dry soil.
• Musk mallow: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in taller, flowers late June to late August.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat painted daisy?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after painted daisy?

Painted daisy is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
• Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does painted daisy look like in winter?

Painted daisy dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.