This week, Ken Lain The Mountain Gardener of Watters Garden Center in Prescott tells about 8 pretty plants with daisy flowers. What flowers look like daisies? Which plants go well with daisies? Which ones look great year-round, and which bloom all summer? Find out all you want to know about plants with daisy flowers.

A favorite flower of days gone by would have to be a daisy, Bellis perennis. This happy-face flower with radiating white petals around a yellow center is still identifiable to even non-gardeners. Daisies are so tough in the mountain garden, but too much white is boring and plain. We developed many daisies like bloomers that offer far more color, are brighter, and even easier to grow than their daisy cousin.

Each of the following companion flowers thrives like a wild daisy. Each with a classic flower arranged in a radiating pattern shows a single bloom with an enormous range of colors and bloom shapes. These new species are known for their tolerance of dry conditions, making them a good choice for mountain locations challenging other flowers.

Asters contain 180 species, but the most popular variety is Aster ‘Celeste,’ which forms a clump covered with dense purple daisy-like flowers in late summer and early fall. This variety grows to knee height. All asters are late-bloomers, offering good color in late summer through autumn when most other perennials are past their prime. Asters prefer climates with cool, moist monsoon summers. Growing in the mountain wilds, this flower proves deer and javelina resistance.

Black-Eyed Susans, Rudbeckia, has yellow flowers around a mocha center disk, growing knee height and blooming summer and early fall. Plant them in large groups for a showy mass of flowers that self-seeds freely in the garden and readily forms a colony that returns year after year. Little to no maintenance is required.

Blanket Flower, Gaillardia, is famous for its thick covering of blooms that blanket the garden in color. Gaillardia is a surprisingly easy-to-grow perennial that self-seeds easily while colonizing the wilder spaces in the landscape. Deer, javelina, and rabbit proof.

Coneflower, Echinacea, sports purple daisy-like flowers that spread through wild gardens. Beautifully grown for its medicinal properties often used as a tea. Some popular cultivars include ‘Kims Knee High,’ ‘Bravado,’ ‘PowWow White,’ ‘Tangerine Dream,’ ‘Gum Drop,’ and ‘Sunbird.’ Blooms best when divided every 3-4 years.

Coreopsis includes over 75 plants with daisy-like flowers. Also known as tickseed, all have daisy-like flowers, with foliage texture sporting elongated leaves, to lacy foliage. Plants are generally 1-2′ feet in height; they can be sheared back after blooming to stimulate a rebloom. These flowers attract lots of bees and butterflies every season. Deadheading encourages repeat blooms.

Ice Plant, Delosperma, has striking purple daisy flowers with yellow centers. The right combination of drainage and moisture yields breathtaking results. This is an ankle-high succulent perfect at blanketing the dry ground with daisy-like blooms all summer long—Javelina and deer resistant.

Mum, Chrysanthemum, is a hardy garden mum blooming from September through frost. This clump-forming plant grows 2′ feet tall in a plenitude of colors. Mums bloom best with consistent moisture and lots of autumn sun.

Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum, is the most similar to common daisies on this list. ‘Becky’ is a particularly popular variety that grows to 3′ feet tall with large, 4′ inch flowers that bloom from July through September. It makes an excellent cut flower.

Daisies never go out of style and with this list of 12 mountain bloomers that dress your gardens in a plethora of colors and fragrances.

Until next issue, I’ll be helping local gardeners plant more daisies in their own yard.

June classes and instructors are finalized, and the rest of the Summer schedule is almost completed. Here are the topics for the first classes of summer:

June 18 @ 9:30 am: Perennial Plants that Thrive in Heat June 25 @ 9:30 am: Best Mountain Fruit Trees and How to Plant Them Now July 2 @ 9:30 am: Gardening for Newcomers July 9 @ 9:30 am: Plant Better Berries and Grapes July 16 @ 9:30 am: Avoid these Common Pests at All Cost

Until the next issue, I’ll be helping local gardens choose the perfect fruits here at Watters Garden Center.

This article was written by Ken Lain. He can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through his website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Vegetables.com.

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