Shasta daisies put shine on any garden

Gardens come alive with shasta daisies this time of year.

Although much of their DNA, so to speak, comes from Europe, the incredible perennials (Leucanthemum x superbum) are mostly a result of Luther Burbank’s cross of Leucanthemum maximum and L. lacustre.

Through the years, I’ve had quite a few moms consult with me about planting a cut-flower garden for a daughter’s June wedding — and, without fail, the shasta daisy has always had a prominent role. I wholly agree because the pristine white of the shasta, like the wedding dress, is symbolic of cleanliness and purity.

I’ve known gardeners who have kept shasta daisies going for more than a decade. They have a wide range of hardiness: from Zones 4 to 9. The key is to select the right varieties for your area and adequately prepare the soil. Choose a site with six hours of sun and a little afternoon shade. The soil should be fertile, moist and well-drained. If it’s tight and heavy, add in 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and till to a depth of 6 to 8?inches.

While tilling, incorporate 2 pounds of a slow-release fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed space. Choose a 12-6-6 or balanced 8-8-8 blend with minor nutrients included. Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart and at the same depth they’re growing in the container. Apply a layer of mulch.

Maintain moisture through summer and feed with a light application of fertilizer every four to six weeks. Remove spent blooms for both a tidy look and increased flower production. Vigorous varieties will often repeat. Divide annually in the fall for the best blooms and healthiest plants.

Shasta daisies should be grown boldly in sweeping drifts of color. They combine wonderfully with the blazing star (Liatris spicata), purple coneflower, Victoria blue salvia, Indigo Spires salvia and Japanese iris. At the Columbus (Ga.) Botanical Garden, they’re planted near the Fairy, an all-time favorite polyantha rose variety from 1932.

You might think a shasta is a shasta, but there are great selections. Becky was a fairly recent Perennial Plant of the Year and is almost unbeatable in offering rugged performance in higher temperatures and humidity. Doubled and frilly versions such as Aglaia and Snowdrift are to be cherished in any perennial garden. The Ice Star looks like a chocolate cake covered in icing with coconut.

Becky reaches 30 inches tall; Aglaia and Snowdrift are a little shorter, and Ice Star shorter yet. Expect them all to spread about 24?inches. Among compact or dwarf selections are Snowcap, which reaches 18 inches tall with good heat tolerance; and Snow Lady, which won an All-America Selections award in 1991.

If you don’t have shasta daisies, you will probably be a bit down when your neighbor’s garden starts to sizzle with these glorious blooms.