Marguerite Daisies

How to choose a marguerite daisy

The White Marguerite Daisy is the classic: single white daisies with a yellow centre over ferny foliage. The Large Yellow Marguerite is its yellow counterpart.

The Madeira series offers stronger colours and different flower forms. The Madeira Red Single Marguerite has a simple open daisy, the Madeira Red Double Marguerite has fuller flowers, and the Madeira Pink Crested Marguerite has a raised, cushioned centre. The Sun Zest Marguerite Daisy and Moon Zest are modern hybrids bred for a compact habit.

Single flowers are the most useful to bees and other pollinators. Doubles and crested forms hold their flowers a little longer and suit pots near the house.

Where marguerite daisies grow

Marguerites suit warm temperate, mild temperate and Mediterranean climates, and they are well adapted to coastal gardens, where they tolerate wind, sandy soil and some salt. In the subtropics they grow well from autumn to spring and can struggle in the wettest, most humid months. In the tropics, treat them as cool season colour. They tolerate light frost only. In cold inland districts, plant after the last frost and grow them as a long season annual, or keep them in pots that can be moved under cover.

Full sun is essential for a compact, well flowered bush. In shade they stretch and flower sparsely. For similar plants, see the seaside daisies, our plants for pots and the wider range of flowering plants.

Planting and spacing

Plant in spring or autumn in soil that drains freely. Marguerites rot in heavy, wet ground, so raise the bed on clay. Most grow 60 centimetres to a metre high and as wide. Space them 60 to 80 centimetres apart for a massed display or informal low hedge, and compact types 40 to 50 centimetres apart. In pots, use a quality potting mix and a container at least 30 centimetres wide. Pinch out the tips at planting to start a bushy frame.

Care basics

Water regularly while plants establish and through dry weather. They wilt fast in pots on a hot day but recover once watered. Feed every few weeks through the flowering season with a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants, or use a slow release fertiliser in spring and again in late summer.

The secret to a good marguerite is light trimming, often. Shear off the spent flowers with a few centimetres of stem after each flush, and the bush will stay dense and bud up again within weeks. Never cut hard into old bare wood, because it seldom reshoots and the plant may die. Marguerites are short lived by nature. After three or four years they turn woody and open, and it is better to replace them than to try to renovate. Tip cuttings taken in autumn or spring root easily. Watch for aphids on new growth and leaf miner trails in the foliage, and pick off affected leaves.

Common questions

How long do marguerite daisies flower?

For most of the year in mild climates, with the heaviest flushes in spring and autumn.

Can I cut a marguerite daisy back hard?

No. Trim lightly and often into leafy growth. Old bare wood rarely reshoots.

Are marguerite daisies frost hardy?

They take light frost only. Hard frost kills them, so protect them or replant in spring.

Do marguerite daisies grow well in pots?

Yes. They are among the easiest shrubs for a sunny pot, given regular water and feeding.