Everyone knows the daisy, a beautiful flower that can be found anywhere, be it in meadows, gardens, open fields, roadside ditches. Even her name is already a traditional woman’s name, which has been worn by queens and maids, office workers and executives all over the world, or actresses.
From the flower to feminine names, the margarita has also passed into gastronomy, as evidenced by two preparations known throughout the world: the margarita pizza, and the margarita cocktail, based on tequila and lime juice.
However, when we talk about daisies we think of the typical flower with a yellow disc in the center, surrounded by many long white petals. Another recurring image when the word “daisy” is mentioned is that of the famous lovers’ dilemma: “Does he love me? Doesn’t he love me?”, while a petal is torn off with each question, hoping that the last one to be torn off will be the one for “he loves me”.
Actually, it is better to speak in the plural, of daisies, because although the one we have mentioned, the common or meadow daisy, is one of the 140 species of daisies that there are, which in turn are part of the 23,000 plants that They form the family of Asteraceae or Composite, and in that group are daisies, but also sunflowers and chamomile. The typical and most popular daisy is, according to its Latin name, the Bellies parents, although there are many very similar varieties.
It is a flower that does not give special problems to gardeners or amateurs, but so that you know what to do if you want to successfully plant daisies, we will show you how to take care of daisies.
Plant
Daisies are herbaceous and perennial plants that are characterized by their thin and long stem, which can even reach a meter in height, with few leaves on it, and with its typical flower with a yellow center and numerous elongated petals. White color.
They are typical of fields and roadsides, and are widely used in gardening, especially to mix between the lawn, or for decoration as cut flowers, and as they do not cause great problems for planting and growth, they can be planted on terraces and pots, and not only in gardens or parks, but also in their natural environment in the countryside. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia, but is found almost everywhere in the world.
The daisy is a plant that does not suffer from many diseases, although it is necessary to watch out for any possible pest that may appear, as with other plants and flowers, especially snails, which are its worst enemy.
But also from aphids and mealy bugs, because they feed on the sap of flowers and stop their growth. They also cause stains on the leaves and stems with a viscous liquid that prevents the daisies from carrying out photosynthesis properly.
In addition to pests, these flowers can suffer from a disease caused by fungi, especially on the leaves, where they cause the appearance of spots, which must be combated with fungicides, better if they are organic, as they will have fewer harmful side effects on the plant itself. And on the rest of the vegetables in the garden or space where you have the daisies.
The land
Although daisies grow in any type of soil, even in those that are not very fertile, the recommended thing to have a splendid plant is that the soil is of quality, and with sufficient humidity, especially at the moment in which they begin to emerge and grow and in flowering. For daisies in general, garden soil or similar is better than growing in a pot, although there are always variations depending on each variety.
For example, the Azania and the agate support better than others to grow in a pot, and on the contrary, those that require a good soil, deeper and better quality, to get ahead, are the chrysanthemums, the asters, the erigeron and the doronicum.
It is advisable to take advantage of the winter to oxygenate the substrate, removing it and adding appropriate chemical fertilizers for them -today there are many to choose from-, and also humus. You also have to cut the branches and dry leaves.
To cultivate them they do not require great work, since they reproduce well by splitting the bushes and replanting these in other places that we prefer, in particular that this method is good for the aforementioned and also for the coreopsis. It can also reproduce with seeds. When planting them, it is convenient to do it separated by a distance of four to six inches.
A method that many gardeners also use, very simple and cheap, is to separate the cuttings that are born around the main plant, carefully pulling them from the root, and that they have that root large enough to reproduce without problems.
The best season to carry out these operations of transplanting and reproducing daisies is spring, so that they can fully grow and bloom in summer. If this is done in the fall, when the temperatures begin to drop, when their cycle is to fold and wait for the winter to pass, what you have to do is put them in pots and under a roof, and when spring begins they will be transplanted to a dirt floor.
Although this flower grows well without fertilizer, it will always improve its performance and make it grow stronger. A universal fertilizer, or a more specific one for flowering plants, will suffice.
Seasons
As for the temperatures, high in summer and low in winter, most daisies do not suffer from the rigors of the cold, since it is a perennial plant, and they withstand frost very well, although this is not the case with chrysanthemum frutescent. One of the best known and most popular chrysanthemums in gardens. When winter arrives and the cold dominates everything, the daisies disappear and are in suspense to sprout with all their strength as soon as spring begins to show signs of approaching, blooming immediately and giving the whole world its beauty and it will continue like this for every month of sunny weather until winter shows its first claws of ice.
And as for the summer, since the temperatures can be high or very high, depending on each geographical region, there are daisies for each area. Those that withstand the strong heat without major incidents are the Azania, the agate, the coreopsis and the rudbequia, among others.
As an anecdotal fact, the earliest daisy, which blooms in late winter or early spring, is precisely the best known as such, the chrysanthemum paludosum, the one with a yellow center and white petals?
Irrigation
All plants and flowers need water, like all living things, in different quantities, depending on the variety and species, and the season. On the other hand, the daisies need to be watered with some frequency, although not daily, better with calcareous water, and be careful that the land in which they are is always moist, although not flooded, so that irrigation should be a habit. Constant. In summer it will be enough to give they water every two or three days, and in winter, approximately every ten days.
The light
Daisies need the sun to grow and bloom abundantly, although some can be in the sun and in the shade at times, but you should know that it will be at the cost of giving much fewer flowers.
Therefore, if you want to have them inside the house or another interior, you should put them somewhere where they can receive at least three or four hours of sun each day. Sunlight is essential for good growth and flowering.
Medical uses
The daisy has had a medicinal use for centuries, and in general the flowers and leaves have been used above all, although the roots have also sometimes been used, especially for ailments such as scurvy, and for various dermatological problems, such as the eczema And it is not a toxic plant for humans.
In addition, the entire plant has various healing properties: it is expectorant and antitussive, in case of colds and the like that cause cough; it also helps the excretion of water as the excellent diuretic that it is; it is sudorific, which is also a good supplement for colds and flu; It has application as an antihypertensive, to help control high blood pressure; it is healing and antispasmodic; it is digestive and laxative; and it is also used for the cure or relief of ophthalmological complaints, as the use of chamomile is known, which is also a daisy, in compresses soaked in an infusion of this plant, to relieve various eye problems.
Gastronomic uses
Although this fact is not very well known, the leaves of the daisy are edible, and can be consumed perfectly in salads, in which they are usually presented in the company of dandelion and fennel leaves.
The most common
Some of the most common daisies are the following, in addition to those that have already been mentioned: the Shasta, quite large, and that can also be grown in the shade, but always with enough hours of sun; the purple Echinacea, which sometimes grows up to 120 centimeters tall, with purple petals and a larger central disc than the common daisy and that stands out on the petals; Rudbeckia, which is wild, is a very hardy daisy, and has a burgundy central button, and a similar shade on the inside of the petals, which are orange at the tips; the gerbera, which has a dark central disc and the petals are very long and brightly colored, more fragile than other daisies, so in winter it should be cared for as an indoor flower, it is native to South Africa, Madagascar and Asia; the malaria, meanwhile, is native to the Canary Islands, its petals can be white, yellow or pink and with double flowers.
Other quite popular daisies are asters, or asters, which grow in width rather than height, which make them very suitable for use as cut flowers, to decorate vases and corners of houses and interiors. They give flowers from August to November. They are also grown with
The cultivation of chrysanthemums, which occur both as deciduous plants and in perennial variants, is also very widespread. They withstand the rigors of winter very well, and although in winter only the roots remain, they do not die, but will return again with the first softness of spring. This plant is the best-selling flower in all of Europe.