Grown as a tender biennial, English Daisy is a herbaceous perennial and has rhizomes (however, people in the northern United States grow this plant as annual). This plant likes sun with afternoon shade, prefers cool temperatures, as well as cool, moist, fertile soil. English Daisy often escapes from the flower garden into lawns, where it is considered a weed. This plant declines with summer heat and is not drought tolerant. This plant's seasons are spring to early summer with sporadic flowering till frost. This plant may be challenging to stop growing if grown in an ideal location. English Daisy likes heavy fertility. This plant reaches a mature height in a maximum of 5 years but can be as short of a time as 2 years. English Daisy is slow to start but then grows rapidly and can become weedy. Fun Fact: Deriving from Latin roots, bellis means "pretty." Propagation : seed or division in spring; plant in fall Insect, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No major insect and disease problems. One pest is the European pepper moth whose host plant is the English Daisy (among other plants). This plant may have some problems with root-knot nematodes (galls) and rust.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 6 in. | Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 9 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblong; Obovate; Ovate; Spatulate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are 3-6 inches. However, this plant also has 1-2 inch, dark green leaves that are rosette. Leaves may look spoon-shaped. Hairs may be present underneath the leaf, on the rosette leaves, and on bracts. Leaves are lobed or unlobed, have teeth, and are cuneate or truncate at the base. This plant does not have leaves on the stem: only leaves near the base.
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
The plant blooms around May through July (spring/summer). The flowers have white, pink, or red rays with a yellow center and are up to 2 inches across. It can be semi-double to double.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
The fruit is an achene.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are up to 6 inches tall but as short as 3 inches tall.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe
Distribution
United States (in TN, NC, VA, KY, WV, IL, IN, OH, PA, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, ME, CA, UT, ID, OR, WA, MT, ND, MN, WI, MI, AK, RI); Canda (in British Columbia, Ontario, Québec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick); Asia; Europe; Pacific Islands (Hawaii and New Zealand)
Wildlife value
Butterflies and other pollinators are attracted to blooms as this plant is a nectar source.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Play value
Attracts Pollinators; Textural
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers
Fruit type
Achene
Edibility
Flowers have a mildly bitter flavor and like young leaves can be eaten in small quantities raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked in tea and soups. However, the plant also has poisonous characteristics as noted in the "Poisonous to Humans" section of this record. Toxicity can depend on the age of the person or animal, the age of the plant, the part of the plant ingested, how much is ingested, whether the person or animal has sensitivities or allergies, whether it's eaten raw or cooked, and so forth. Consult with a medical professional for further details.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Homeopathic medicines (vitamin supplement and tea) sometimes include this plant.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Recreational Play Area; Small Space
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Children's Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
If this plant is eaten, then constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy may occur. If this plant is ingested, it may even make you feel more hungry. Products with English Daisy should not be taken while pregnant or breast-feeding as not enough research has been done.