26 Daisy Varieties Worth Planting, Plus the Ones to Check Before You Grow

Daisies look simple, but choosing the right one is not as simple as picking the prettiest white flower at the nursery. Some daisies are hardy perennials that come back for years. Some are annuals. Some are tender container plants. A few are aggressive enough that you should check local invasive-species rules before planting them.

For most homeowners, the best daisy garden starts with full sun, well-drained soil, mature spacing, and a short list of plants matched to your USDA zone and water schedule. On our job sites, the failures we see are rarely caused by the flower itself. They usually come from wet clay, beds that trap water against the house, plants installed too tightly, or irrigation that treats drought-tolerant perennials and thirsty annuals the same way.

If you want the safest starting point, use Shasta daisy, Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Blanket flower, or regionally native asters in sunny beds. Be careful with oxeye daisy, especially near open land, roadsides, pastures, parks, or natural areas.

Quick Comparison: 26 Daisy Types for Home Gardens

Daisies belong to the Asteraceae family, but many plants sold as “daisies” are really daisy-like relatives. That is fine for garden design as long as you understand the differences in lifespan, water needs, height, and spread.

Common name	Botanical name	Type	USDA zones	Size	Best use	Caution
Shasta daisy	Leucanthemum x superbum	Perennial	4-9	1-4 ft tall, 1-2 ft wide	Classic perennial border	Needs division every 2-3 years
Oxeye daisy	Leucanthemum vulgare	Perennial	3-8	1-3 ft tall	Only where legal and contained	Invasive or regulated in some areas
English daisy	Bellis perennis	Biennial or short perennial	4-8	4-8 in tall	Spring edging, cool-season color	Can self-seed in lawns
Gerbera daisy	Gerbera jamesonii	Tender perennial	8-11	10-18 in tall	Containers, cutting flowers	Usually annual in cold climates
Marguerite daisy	Argyranthemum frutescens	Tender perennial	9-11	1-3 ft tall	Containers, mild climates	Dislikes hard freezes
African daisy	Osteospermum spp.	Annual or tender perennial	9-11	10-24 in tall	Cool-season containers	May pause in high summer heat
Blue marguerite	Felicia amelloides	Tender perennial	9-11	1-2 ft tall	Blue accent in containers	Needs good drainage
Painted daisy	Tanacetum coccineum	Perennial	3-7	1-3 ft tall	Spring to early summer color	Shorter bloom window
Black-eyed Susan	Rudbeckia spp.	Annual or perennial	3-9	1-4 ft tall	Pollinator border	Can spread by seed
Coneflower	Echinacea spp.	Perennial	3-9	2-5 ft tall	Native-style beds, birds	Avoid wet winter soil
Blanket flower	Gaillardia spp.	Annual or perennial	3-10	1-2 ft tall	Hot, dry sites	Do not overwater
Tickseed	Coreopsis spp.	Annual or perennial	4-9	1-3 ft tall	Long summer bloom	Some types self-seed
Chocolate daisy	Berlandiera lyrata	Perennial	4-10	1-2 ft tall	Dry western gardens	Needs lean, drained soil
Dahlberg daisy	Thymophylla tenuiloba	Annual	Annual	6-12 in tall	Low edging, containers	Small plant, not a tall border
Nippon daisy	Nipponanthemum nipponicum	Perennial	5-9	2-3 ft tall	Fall white flowers	Give it room
Swan River daisy	Brachyscome iberidifolia	Annual	Annual	8-18 in tall	Hanging baskets, edging	Best in cool to mild weather
Seaside daisy	Erigeron glaucus	Perennial	5-10	6-12 in tall	Coastal beds, slopes	Needs drainage
Livingstone daisy	Cleretum bellidiforme	Annual	Annual	4-10 in tall	Hot, dry groundcover color	Poor choice for wet beds
Crown daisy	Glebionis coronaria	Annual	Annual	1-3 ft tall	Edible greens, flowers	Can reseed
Desert star daisy	Monoptilon bellioides	Annual	Annual	2-8 in tall	Desert wildflower look	Not for irrigated clay beds
Angelita daisy	Tetraneuris acaulis	Perennial	5-9	8-12 in tall	Xeriscape edging	Needs sharp drainage
Transvaal daisy	Gerbera jamesonii	Tender perennial	8-11	10-18 in tall	Same as gerbera	Treat as annual in cold zones
Florist chrysanthemum	Chrysanthemum morifolium	Perennial or annual mum	5-9	1-3 ft tall	Fall color	Florist mums may not overwinter well
Feverfew	Tanacetum parthenium	Short-lived perennial	5-9	1-3 ft tall	Cottage gardens	Self-seeds freely
Mexican daisy	Erigeron karvinskianus	Perennial	6-9	1-2 ft wide	Walls, paths, informal edges	Can spread in mild climates
Bush daisy	Euryops pectinatus	Tender shrub	9-11	3-6 ft tall	Warm-climate foundation beds	Too large for narrow borders

Best Perennial Daisies for Most Yards

For a dependable perennial bed, start with plants that match your winter lows and summer humidity. A 100-square-foot daisy bed might use 20 to 45 plants depending on mature spread. Resist the urge to plant at nursery-pot spacing. If a perennial matures at 24 inches wide, lay it out on roughly 18- to 24-inch centers and mulch the open soil while it fills in.

1. Shasta Daisy

Shasta daisy is the classic white-petal, yellow-center perennial. Most cultivars grow in USDA zones 4-9, bloom in late spring to summer, and perform best in full sun. Plan on 1 to 2 feet of spacing for many varieties, with taller cultivars set toward the middle or back of the bed.

Shastas are moderately drought tolerant once established, but they are not wetland plants. Heavy clay, low spots, and winter waterlogging can rot the crown. Deadhead spent flowers for a cleaner look and divide clumps every 2 to 3 years when the center gets weak or bloom count drops.

2. Coneflower

Echinacea is not a true daisy, but it earns its space in daisy-style gardens. It handles heat, supports pollinators, and leaves seed heads that birds use later in the season. Most common garden types fit zones 3-9 and grow 2 to 5 feet tall depending on cultivar.

3. Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia gives you gold petals and dark centers through summer into fall. It is useful in Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast gardens because it tolerates heat better than many delicate flowers. Give most perennial types 18 to 24 inches of spread and good airflow in humid climates.

4. Coreopsis

Coreopsis, also called tickseed, is one of the best long-blooming daisy-like perennials for full sun. It works well along walks, driveways, and front borders because many types stay in the 12- to 30-inch range. Choose cultivars with proven hardiness in your zone; some are tougher than others.

5. Blanket Flower

Gaillardia is built for sun, heat, and leaner soil. It is a good pick for dry slopes, curb strips, and beds where irrigation is limited. Do not group it on the same drip zone as thirsty annuals. Too much water and rich soil can shorten its life.

6. Nippon Daisy

Nippon daisy, often called Montauk daisy, brings white flowers later than Shasta daisies. It usually blooms in late summer to fall and can reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Use it where you have room for a sturdy, shrub-like perennial, not in a narrow 12-inch strip by a walkway.

Best Annual and Container Daisies

Annual daisies are useful when you want fast color for one season, a patio container, or a front entry refresh. They cost more over time than perennials because you replace them, but they give immediate impact. Installed individual flowers are commonly priced around $10 to $30 per pot including the plant, while DIY flats, plugs, or seed packets can bring the plant cost down if you have time to establish them.

7. Gerbera or Transvaal Daisy

Gerbera daisies are showy, bright, and excellent in containers. In warm zones 8-11 they may act as tender perennials, but in colder regions they are usually treated as annuals or brought indoors. They need good drainage and do not like soggy crowns.

8. Marguerite Daisy

Marguerite daisies work well in mild-climate containers and sunny annual beds. They can reach 1 to 3 feet tall, so give them enough pot volume. A single marguerite in a 12- to 16-inch container with trailing plants can fill a porch corner quickly.

9. African Daisy

Osteospermum offers white, purple, pink, orange, and bicolor flowers. It often looks best in spring and fall or in climates with mild summers. In hot inland sites, it may slow down during peak heat, so do not design the whole bed around it if you need August performance.

10. Blue Marguerite

Felicia brings blue petals, which is uncommon in daisy-style flowers. It is best in containers, raised beds, or well-drained mild-climate borders. Pair it with plants that like similar moisture rather than mixing it into a high-water annual bed.

11. Dahlberg Daisy

Dahlberg daisy is a low annual with small yellow flowers and fine foliage. It works as edging, in rock gardens, and in containers. Because it stays low, use it at the front 6 to 12 inches of the bed where taller plants will not shade it out.

12. Swan River Daisy

Swan River daisy is a soft, fine-textured annual that shines in baskets, window boxes, and border fronts. It prefers mild conditions and well-drained soil. Use it for spring-to-early-summer color rather than relying on it as a high-heat workhorse.

13. Livingstone Daisy

Livingstone daisy is a low, bright annual for dry, sunny sites. It is a poor match for heavy irrigation and compacted clay. If the bed stays wet after a rain, fix the drainage before planting or choose something more tolerant.

Native, Pollinator, and Water-Wise Choices

For lower maintenance, match the plant to the region instead of forcing a flower to survive with extra water and fertilizer. In the arid West, that often means blanket flower, chocolate daisy, angelita daisy, desert star daisy, and regionally native asters. In the Midwest and Northeast, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, and hardy Shasta cultivars are dependable. In the humid Southeast, prioritize spacing, airflow, and disease-resistant varieties.

14. Chocolate Daisy

Chocolate daisy is a strong choice for dry gardens, especially where heat and low water are part of the design. It grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and belongs in a hydrozone with other drought-tolerant plants. Do not over-amend the soil or bury it under heavy mulch.

15. Angelita Daisy

Angelita daisy is a compact yellow-flowering perennial for xeriscape beds, rock gardens, and sunny edges. It needs sharp drainage. In construction terms, that means water should move through the root zone and away from the crown, not sit in a bathtub of amended soil surrounded by clay.

16. Desert Star Daisy

Desert star daisy is a small annual suited to desert-style planting and wildflower mixes in the right climate. It is not the right plant for a lush, irrigated East Coast foundation bed.

17. Seaside Daisy

Seaside daisy is useful near coastal conditions because it tolerates wind and lean soils better than many ornamental flowers. It stays low, often 6 to 12 inches tall, and works on slopes, edges, and informal borders. Keep it out of soggy pockets.

18. Crown Daisy

Crown daisy is grown both as an ornamental and as an edible green in some gardens. It is typically used as an annual and can reseed, so deadhead before seed drop if you want a tidy bed.

Daisies to Verify Before Planting

A flower can be attractive and still be the wrong plant for your property. We are especially careful with self-seeding species near drainage corridors, open lots, parks, pastures, and natural areas. Once a plant escapes the bed, cleanup costs can exceed the original planting cost.

19. Oxeye Daisy

Oxeye daisy is the big caution. It is aggressive, spreads by seed and roots, and one flower head can produce up to 200 seeds. Some states and counties regulate it as a noxious weed. Do not plant oxeye daisy, or a wildflower mix that contains it, until you check your local extension office, state invasive plant list, or county weed district.

Safer substitutions include Shasta daisy cultivars, native Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Coreopsis, Gaillardia, or regionally native asters. If you already have oxeye daisy, avoid letting it go to seed while you confirm the best local control method.

20. Feverfew

Feverfew has small white daisy-like flowers and a cottage-garden look, but it self-seeds freely. That can be useful in a contained herb garden and annoying in a formal front bed. Deadhead it before seed drop if you want control.

21. Mexican Daisy

Mexican daisy is charming along walls and paths, with small white-to-pink flowers. In mild climates, it can spread into cracks and informal edges. That may be exactly what you want on a stone wall, but not in a tight, high-control landscape.

22. English Daisy

English daisy is often used for cool-season color and short edging. It can self-seed into lawns in some climates. If your goal is a clean turf edge, keep it contained or choose a less mobile perennial.

Warm-Climate and Specialty Daisies

Some daisy types perform well only where winters are mild. They can still be worth growing, but the budget should reflect whether you are buying a long-term shrub, a seasonal annual, or a container plant you will protect during cold snaps.

23. Bush Daisy

Euryops, or bush daisy, is a warm-climate shrub with yellow flowers. It can reach 3 to 6 feet tall, so it is not a small bedding plant. Keep it away from windows, meters, hose bibs, and narrow walkways unless you plan to prune it regularly.

24. Florist Chrysanthemum

Mums are daisy relatives and useful for fall color. Garden mums may overwinter in suitable zones if planted early enough to establish roots, but many florist mums are bought late, displayed hard, and discarded after bloom. Treat them as seasonal color unless you are choosing hardy cultivars and planting them with enough lead time before frost.

25. Painted Daisy

Painted daisy gives red, pink, and white flowers in late spring to early summer. It is hardy in many colder regions and can bridge the gap between early bulbs and summer perennials. Because the bloom window is shorter, pair it with later performers such as coneflower, Rudbeckia, and mums.

26. Marginal Tender Daisies in Pots

Several tender daisies, including gerbera, marguerite, blue marguerite, and African daisy, are best treated as container plants outside their hardiness range. Use pots with drainage holes, a high-quality potting mix, and saucers only where they will not hold water against the root zone. A 14- to 18-inch pot is a practical size for one larger daisy plus smaller companion plants.

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How to Build a Daisy Bed That Lasts

A good flower bed is a small construction project. The plant list matters, but grading, drainage, edging, irrigation, and access matter just as much.

Start With Sun and Soil Testing

Most daisies need at least 6 hours of direct sun. Before a major installation, get a soil test so you know pH and nutrient levels instead of adding random amendments. If the soil is heavy clay, test drainage by digging a 12-inch-deep hole, filling it with water, letting it drain, and filling it again. If water is still standing many hours later, choose raised planting, drainage correction, or plants that tolerate heavier soil.

Keep Water Away From the House

Do not build a raised flower bed that traps water against siding, brick ledges, crawlspace vents, or foundation walls. Soil and mulch should slope away from the structure. Keep mulch a few inches off siding and plant crowns. A typical mulch depth is 2 to 3 inches, enough to suppress weeds and hold moisture without burying stems.

Call 811 Before You Dig

For any bed that involves edging stakes, irrigation trenching, post holes, lighting, or digging more than a few shallow planting holes, contact 811 before work starts. Utility locating is not just for major construction. Residential gas, electric, communications, and irrigation lines can be shallower than homeowners expect.

Use Drip Irrigation and Hydrozone the Bed

Residential outdoor water use in the United States is nearly 8 billion gallons per day, mostly for landscape irrigation, and as much as 50 percent can be wasted through overwatering and inefficient systems. Daisy beds usually do better with drip or soaker irrigation than overhead spray because foliage stays drier and water lands where roots can use it.

Group plants by water need. Shasta daisies, gerberas, and annual containers should not be on the same schedule as chocolate daisy, blanket flower, angelita daisy, and desert star daisy. A WaterSense-labeled controller can help adjust watering by weather instead of running the same cycle after rain.

Cost to Install a Daisy Flower Bed in 2026

National flower bed installation numbers vary because “flower bed” can mean anything from a simple mulched planting strip to a fully graded, edged, irrigated bed with drainage correction. For planning, separate the plant cost from the construction cost.

Scope	Typical 2026 cost	What it usually includes
DIY seeds	Lowest cost, slower results	Seed packets, soil prep, watering, higher establishment risk
DIY plugs or quart pots	Moderate plant cost	Good balance of cost and establishment speed
Installed individual flowers	$10-$30 per pot	Plant plus labor for basic installation
Simple softscape bed	$1-$8 per sq ft	Soil, plants, mulch, basic edging, light prep
Typical flower bed installation	$800-$3,175 total	Common national range for residential beds, depending on size and scope
Built-out bed	$20-$65 per sq ft	Excavation, grading, drainage, stone edging, irrigation, raised construction
5×12 ft dug bed	$1,400-$3,700	About 60 sq ft with more complete prep and installation
Mulch installation	$30-$120 per cu yd	Installed mulch, with depth commonly 2-3 inches
Landscape edging	$3.50-$8.80 per linear ft	Material, layout, curves, prep, and labor

Labor is the biggest swing factor. A typical 2-person planting-bed crew may run about $80 to $150 per hour total. Regional crew-member rates often range from $35 to $55 per hour in the Southeast, $40 to $60 in the Midwest, $50 to $75 in the Northeast, $55 to $85 on the West Coast, and $45 to $65 in the Mountain West.

For a 100-square-foot daisy bed, a simple DIY installation might use seed or small plugs, compost only if the soil test supports it, 1 cubic yard or less of mulch depending on bed shape and depth, and basic hand edging. A professional installation with turf removal, soil correction, drip irrigation, metal edging, and gallon perennials can cost several times more, but it also solves the problems that make cheap beds fail.

When to DIY and When to Hire a Pro

DIY makes sense when the bed is small, the soil drains well, utilities are clear, and you are planting shallow annuals or small perennials. A weekend project for a 40- to 80-square-foot sunny border is reasonable for many homeowners. Use plugs or quart pots if you want cost control, and gallon plants if you want the bed to look fuller in the first season.

Hire a pro when the bed touches the house, sits on a slope, requires turf removal, needs drainage correction, includes irrigation, or uses stone, steel, or concrete edging. Also hire help if you are working near utilities, tree roots, retaining walls, or hardscape that must stay intact. The expensive part is not planting a daisy. The expensive part is fixing a bed that was graded wrong, holds water, or blocks access to meters, cleanouts, valves, or foundation components.

Regional Planting Notes

In the humid Southeast, prioritize airflow. Space plants at mature width, avoid overhead irrigation, and choose disease-resistant cultivars. In the arid West, mulch for moisture conservation but keep crowns clear, and group drought-tolerant daisies on separate drip zones. In the cold Midwest and Northeast, winter drainage is often the deciding factor; hardy perennials still fail if crowns sit wet through freeze-thaw cycles. In coastal areas, use tougher choices such as seaside daisy and wind-tolerant perennials, and avoid tall, floppy plants in exposed beds unless you are willing to stake or cut them back.

For succession color, combine spring English daisies or painted daisies, summer Shasta daisies, coneflower, coreopsis, blanket flower, and black-eyed Susan, then finish with Nippon daisies or mums in fall. Leave some seed heads for birds and pollinators only on non-invasive species. Near natural areas, deadhead aggressively and avoid risky seed mixes.

The Bottom Line

The best daisy for your garden is the one that fits your climate, soil, water schedule, and maintenance tolerance. For most US homeowners, Shasta daisy, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, and blanket flower are the strongest starting group. Add tender daisies in containers for seasonal color, use native or water-wise species where the site calls for them, and verify oxeye daisy before planting it anywhere.

Build the bed like you want it to last: test the soil, create positive drainage, call 811 before deeper digging, keep water moving away from the house, install plants at mature spacing, and use drip irrigation where practical. That work is not glamorous, but it is what separates a one-season flower display from a bed that improves every year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are daisies annuals or perennials?

Both. Shasta daisy, coneflower, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, and Nippon daisy are commonly grown as perennials in suitable USDA zones. Gerbera, African daisy, Swan River daisy, dahlberg daisy, and Livingstone daisy are often treated as annuals in colder regions.

Which daisies come back every year?

Reliable returning choices include Shasta daisy in zones 4-9, coneflower in zones 3-9, many black-eyed Susans in zones 3-9, coreopsis in zones 4-9, blanket flower in zones 3-10, and Nippon daisy in zones 5-9, provided the soil drains well.

Are oxeye daisies invasive in the United States?

Yes, they can be. Oxeye daisy is aggressive and is regulated as a noxious weed in some states and counties. One flower head can produce up to 200 seeds, so check local invasive plant rules before planting it or any wildflower mix that contains it.

How much does it cost to install a daisy flower bed?

In 2026, simple softscape beds often run about $1-$8 per square foot, while more complete beds with excavation, grading, drainage, edging, irrigation, or raised construction can reach $20-$65 per square foot. Many national flower bed projects fall around $800-$3,175 total, depending on size and scope.

How often should Shasta daisies be divided?

Many Shasta daisies benefit from division every 2 to 3 years. Divide when the clump gets crowded, the center weakens, or flowering declines. Spring or early fall is usually the best timing, depending on your climate.

Do I need an 811 locate before digging a flower bed?

Use 811 before deeper digging, irrigation trenching, edging stakes, lighting, posts, or any work near likely utility paths. Even residential flower beds can cross gas, electric, communications, drainage, and irrigation lines.

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