Shasta daisy 'Snowcap'
Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snowcap' · Asteraceae
A dwarf Shasta daisy: full-sized white daisies on a compact, weather-proof mound only knee high.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around Shasta daisy 'Snowcap'
The planner designed this bed around Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' 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 'Snowcap' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' × 3, white
- 2 Winter heath × 5, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 4 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 8, tan
- 5 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Darwin hybrid tulip × 5, red
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are bells, dense clusters, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- In the middle. At 14 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and little bluestem 'The Blues' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft) and little bluestem 'The Blues' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 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 mid August.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 6 groups (67%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' and little bluestem 'The Blues', the tallest plants on the plan. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, leadwort and little bluestem 'The Blues'.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. 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 'Snowcap' goes in a border
At 14 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
The same clean white as the tall Shastas, in a plant that never needs staking. Good in front of blue salvia or catmint.
- White daisies at the front of a bed
- Edging
- Containers
What to plant with Shasta daisy 'Snowcap'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': in flower together for nine weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam': in flower together for nine weeks, from late June.
- Salvia 'May Night': in flower together for four weeks, from late June; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about Shasta daisy 'Snowcap'
Does Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' need sun or shade?
Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' 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.
What zones does Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' 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 'Snowcap' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Late June to mid August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late June to mid August |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 9 | Early 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 'Snowcap' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' 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 runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' 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 'Snowcap'?
These come closest to doing what Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Carpathian bellflower: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 4 in shorter, 4 in narrower.
- Scarlet coral bells: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers late May to late July.
- Bloody cranesbill: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to late July, 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.
What flowers after Shasta daisy 'Snowcap'?
Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' is over by mid August. 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.
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' look like in winter?
Shasta daisy 'Snowcap' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Leucanthemum
- Shasta daisy 'Banana Cream' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Banana Cream'
- Shasta daisy 'Becky' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky'
- Shasta daisy 'Crazy Daisy' Leucanthemum x superbum 'Crazy Daisy'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late June to mid August; daisies; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
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.