Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'
Leucanthemum x superbum 'Crazy Daisy' · Asteraceae
Double and semi-double white daisies with frilled, quilled and twisted petals, no two alike, around a yellow centre.
- Size
- 2 ft tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'
The planner designed this bed around Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' × 3, white
- 2 Sea thrift × 8, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 5, purple
- 4 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 5 Showy goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Saffron crocus × 12, purple
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are globes, bells, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2 ft it is seen over winter heath (10 in) in front of it.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From late June to late August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With wild quinine and blue oat grass in late June: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Wild quinine and showy goldenrod anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. Low plants run along 100% of the front edge: sea thrift and winter heath.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' goes in a border
At 2 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The shaggy flowers are looser and more playful than the classic Shasta, and good for cutting. Divide it every two or three years: Shastas die out in the centre.
- Cottage borders
- Cutting
- White for midsummer
What to plant with Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Salvia 'May Night': in flower together for three weeks, from late June.
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam': in flower together for nine weeks, from late June.
- Garden phlox: in flower together for six weeks, from mid July.
Questions about Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'
Does Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' need sun or shade?
Shasta daisy 'Crazy 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 Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Late June to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Mid June to early August |
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 Shasta daisy 'Crazy 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 2 ft (65 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Shasta daisy 'Crazy 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 Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea 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 Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'?
These come closest to doing what Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Coneflower 'White Swan': the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour.
- Balloon flower: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 4 in narrower.
- Musk mallow: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 4 in taller, fine leaves, not medium.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy'?
Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
- Bottle gentian: from late August to early October, 20 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' look like in winter?
Shasta daisy 'Crazy 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.
Is Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' good for bees and butterflies?
Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' is visited by pollinators, bees and butterflies.
More Leucanthemum
- Shasta daisy 'Banana Cream' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Banana Cream'
- Shasta daisy 'Becky' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky'
- Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snowcap'
In these guides
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2 ft (65 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to late August; daisies; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Non-native hybrid
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.