Daisy

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Daisy (Latin Bellis) - a small herbaceous perennial plant of the Astrov family. To decorate flower beds, the plant is cultivated as a biennial. Blooms for a long period, not requiring special care.

Characteristics of culture

Daisy is a small perennial herb. Leaves are basal, dense, oval, with a slightly wavy edge, with longitudinal venation.

Inflorescence - short, erect peduncle decorated with a single flower. The diameter of the flowers is 2-5 cm, at present, garden varieties of daisies with a flower diameter of up to 18 cm have been bred. The flowers are simple or double. There are two types of flowers on the receptacle - the edge is represented by female ligulate flowers with white, pink, red color, and in the middle there are tubular yellow flowers of the male and female sex. The fruit is an achene without a parachute (pappus).

Popular varieties

* Galaxy Mixed - a mixture of white-pink-red colored semi-double flowers with a bright yellow center. A rather high peduncle for daisies, growing up to 15 cm. It differs in that it blooms twice: for the first time three months after sowing, that is, with early sowing, it will bloom in the current summer; the second time - will delight in the spring of next year.

* Monstrosa (Monstrosa) - large white, pink, red double flowers will decorate the months of May and June with their abundant flowering.

* Pomponette is a profusely blooming daisy with miniature flower buttons. Prolonged flowering (April - July) will decorate the flower garden with petals that look like graceful feathers.

* Rominette - blooms in spring. Strong flower stalks up to 12 cm in height hold dense double pom-poms up to 2 cm in diameter. Good for decorating borders. A dense blooming carpet of daisies of this variety will delight you with white, pink, red and carmine colors.

* Habanera (Habanera) - a mixture of two-colored large (up to 6 cm) double flowers is popular with gardeners. Looks good against the background of other colors, for example, viola.

Growing conditions

Daisy is a relatively unpretentious, cold-resistant plant. Daisies grow in any soil with good drainage, as they vomit on too damp soils. They bloom more abundantly on light loams, well fertilized with humus. They prefer places open to the sun, but they also tolerate shade, in which they do not bloom so abundantly and the flowers are smaller. Sandy soils do not protect the bushes from freezing, and therefore require shelter for the winter. They can easily transfer the transplant to a new place, even during flowering periods.

Landing

Daisies can be planted at any time (except for winter, of course). You can sow seeds, cuttings, divide an overgrown bush.

Most often, seeds are sown in summer (late June - early July). The seedlings that appeared a week later dive at a distance of 10 cm from each other. They are planted for permanent residence in August, leaving each bush with 20 square centimeters of area. The developing leaf rosette, having successfully overwintered, will present next spring with numerous flower stalks with elegant flower caps.

If we restrict ourselves to self-seeding daisies, then the flowers quickly become smaller, degenerate. therefore, periodically it is necessary to add new seedlings.

Care

Caring for daisies is not difficult, it includes watering as needed, loosening the soil, and periodic feeding.

Diseases rarely affect daisies. But, if the virus nevertheless managed to penetrate, which will be seen by the elongated pedicel, a decrease in the size of the flower and its faded color, it is better to remove and burn such bushes together with a lump of earth. Mites, mice, powdery mildew can occasionally become enemies of daisies. damaged plants must be removed. Timely watering, a sense of proportion when applying fertilizers will be a good prophylaxis to keep the plant in a healthy and blooming state.