Germination temperature
18-25 °C (65-77 °F); about 20 °C (68 °F) is ideal.
Visit deodar-seeds.in Flower growing guide
'Silver Princess' is a dwarf Shasta daisy about 30 cm tall with white, yellow-centred flowers, despite its common sale name of chamomile daisy. It germinates easily in warmth but needs a cool winter before it flowers well, so plan for the main show in its second summer.
18-25 °C (65-77 °F); about 20 °C (68 °F) is ideal.
Barely covered: a light dusting of vermiculite or fine compost.
About 9-12 days in warmth.
Full sun to light part shade for the plants.
None for the seed; the young plants need a winter chill before flowering.
Start in trays or plugs and plant out after about six weeks.
Sow the seed as it comes. Shasta daisy is a rapidly germinating perennial and needs no special treatment of the seed itself.
Not needed. The seed coat does not block water uptake.
Not needed for germination. The cold requirement applies to the plant, not the seed: young plants need about 10-12 weeks of cool winter weather to set flower buds.
Not needed. Keep the sowing medium evenly moist instead.
18-25 °C (65-77 °F), with about 20 °C (68 °F) a good target. Once seedlings are up, move them somewhere cooler.
Sow on the surface and cover very thinly with vermiculite, or press the seed into the mix and add only a light dusting of compost.
A fine, free-draining seed compost in trays or plug cells; sowing 3-4 seeds per plug gives full cells.
Keep the medium constantly moist but never wet. Water from below or with a fine spray so the thin cover is not washed off.
Seed is lightly covered; give seedlings bright light as soon as they emerge to keep them compact.
About 9-12 days at 18-25 °C (65-77 °F); slower in a cold room.
Plants in plug cells are ready to move on after about six weeks. Pot them up or plant out once frost is over, in sun or light part shade. 'Silver Princess' stays about 30 cm (12 in) tall, so it suits the front of a border, edging and containers.
Grow young plants cool, at about 10-18 °C (50-65 °F). Above about 20 °C (68 °F) in humid, crowded conditions the risk of fungal disease rises.
Let the plants spend their first winter outdoors in well-drained soil. The cold period triggers flowering; without it, flowering is very limited.
Cause: no winter chill yet. Fix: this is normal for spring sowings; the plants flower fully the next summer. For flowers next year, sow in early to mid summer so plants are established before winter.
Cause: wet, poorly drained soil. Fix: plant in free-draining soil or a raised bed, and avoid low spots where water stands in winter.
Cause: leaf spot or powdery mildew, worse in warm, humid, crowded conditions. Fix: space plants for air movement, water the soil rather than the leaves and remove badly affected leaves.
Cause: aphids or spider mites; leaf miners leave pale tunnels. Fix: check plants regularly, rinse off aphids and remove mined leaves; spider mites build up in hot, dry weather.
Cause: Shasta daisies are short-lived and the centre of the clump becomes crowded. Fix: lift and divide every 2-3 years in spring or autumn, replanting the young outer pieces.
Full sun gives the most flowers; light part shade is tolerated. Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil suits it; clay, loam or sand are all fine if they drain.
Cut off faded flowers to keep new ones coming through summer into early autumn.
A mulch such as pine needles keeps the soil moist and cool in summer without holding water against the crown.
Shasta daisy needs a cool winter. In India it does best in the hills; on the hot, humid plains plants rarely get enough chill and are prone to rot in the monsoon, so treat them as short-lived and give perfect drainage.
Compact stems of white daisies also work in small posies; regular cutting acts like deadheading.
Sow in warmth, let the young plants have a cool winter and enjoy compact white daisies from the next summer.
No. It is a dwarf Shasta daisy, Leucanthemum × superbum, grown for its flowers. Tea chamomile is a different plant, Matricaria chamomilla, covered in our German chamomile guide.
Shasta daisies need about 10-12 weeks of cool winter weather before they form flower buds. Spring-sown plants usually flower properly the following summer.
About 30 cm (12 in) in flower, much shorter than the standard Shasta daisy at 60-120 cm (2-4 ft), which makes it suitable for pots and edging.
Shasta daisies are short-lived perennials. Dividing the clumps every 2-3 years keeps them flowering; sowing a few new plants now and then also helps.