Seaside Daisies (Erigeron)

How to choose a seaside daisy

The Seaside Daisy is the species: a fine leaved mound twenty to thirty centimetres high that spreads to a metre wide and softens any hard edge. The Profusion Seaside Daisy is a free flowering seed strain with the same low habit, sixty centimetres to a metre wide, and masses of daisies that open white and age to pink. The Spindrift Seaside Daisy is a named selection for the same uses, a good fit for edging and pots.

The Pink Jewel Fleabane Daisy is a different plant. It is an upright, clumping perennial with stems fifty to sixty centimetres tall and semi double, lilac pink daisies with yellow centres in late spring and summer. It dies back in winter and returns in spring, and it is good for cutting and for bees and butterflies.

Where seaside daisies grow

Seaside daisy grows in sun or part shade, in most well drained soils, and tolerates coastal conditions and dry spells once established. It suits rock walls, the gaps in steps, pots, hanging baskets and the front of a bed. Pink Jewel prefers full sun in cool to warm temperate gardens and struggles in the humid subtropics.

Seaside daisy self-seeds freely and is an environmental weed in some bushland areas, so trim it after flowering and do not plant it next to bushland. In a town garden, seedlings that come up where they are not wanted pull out easily.

For companions, see our groundcovers, rockery plants and plants for coastal areas. Our guide to growing seaside daisy covers the plant in more detail.

Planting and spacing

Plant in well drained soil. In heavy clay, raise the bed or mix in coarse sand and compost. For a continuous carpet, space seaside daisies forty to fifty centimetres apart. To spill over a wall, plant close to the edge and let the stems trail. Space Pink Jewel about forty centimetres apart in groups of three or more. Tubes are single young plants and establish quickly in warm soil.

Care basics

Water regularly until the plants are growing strongly, then only in long dry spells. Seaside daisy needs little feeding, and rich soil makes it leafy and loose. Once or twice a year, shear the whole plant back by about half. This removes the seed heads, keeps the mound dense and brings a fresh flush of flowers within weeks.

Deadhead Pink Jewel to extend its flowering, and cut the old stems to the ground in winter. Divide crowded clumps in early spring.

Common questions

Does seaside daisy spread?

Yes, by creeping stems and by seed. Trim it after flowering to limit seedlings, and keep it away from bushland.

How long does seaside daisy flower?

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

Can I grow seaside daisy in a pot?

Yes. It trails well over the rim of pots, bowls and hanging baskets in a free draining mix.

How do I tidy a straggly plant?

Cut it back by half with shears. It reshoots quickly and flowers again within a few weeks.