With their white-yellow flowers, daisies spread a happy atmosphere in the garden. Ideally, they’ll start producing buds in May and won’t stop until the end of October. So it is normal that there are beautiful flowers, unopened buds, but also withered plants on a bush at the same time. If you clean up everything that has withered as soon as possible, you could use the energy saved to lure even more flowers out.
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Period for the daisies bloom
As soon as spring approaches and there is no longer any fear of frost, the marguerite awakens, bot. Leucanthemum to new life. Overwintered specimens are allowed to leave their winter quarters and gradually move to a sunny, warm place. It doesn’t take long for them to sprout diligently. The first buds will soon be visible. Under good conditions, the first of them will bloom as early as May. From then on, every warm day is a potential flower day. The shrub can adorn itself with new white-yellow flowers until October or even longer.
Extend the flowering period
Even if the flowering period of the daisies extends over months, the residence time of a flower is a lot shorter. In order for such a plant to bloom until autumn, new flowers must be formed. This requires the use of energy. However, this is known to be limited and is also required elsewhere. For example, seed formation after flowering is an energy-intensive activity for the marguerite. However, since seeds are necessary for the emergence of young plants, they are the first priority for the daisy. The formation of new flowers must take a back seat. Unless their owner prevents seed formation.
- Remove faded leaves promptly
- before seeds can form
- this saves a lot of energy
Leucanthemum will not waste the energy saved. It will flow into the formation of new flower buds. The flowering time is thus extended as desired.
get health
Withered is not only not a pretty sight for the spoiled eye. It is also attractive to fungi that feed on dead plant tissue. When faded daisy petals get wet from rain and fall off, they can stick to the green leaves. They then mold directly on the healthy tissue and thus pose a potential risk of disease. The same applies to flower petals, which collect on the ground and mold there. Also for the sake of the plant, you should remove all faded flowers before they fall apart completely.
single cut
During the growing season, the flowers on the daisy bush come and go. While some prepare to open, others let the petals droop withered. It is therefore necessary to sort out what can remain on the bush and what has to go. This is a time-consuming job, but it can also bring joy to a nature lover. Ideally, everything withered should be cleaned up in a targeted and timely manner.
- Clean Leucanthemum regularly
- at least once a week
- selectively grab and remove one faded flower after the other
- before seed formation begins
- Cut below the calyx
- also clean yellowed leaves
- practice cleaning until autumn
Radical cut
There is not always time and patience to remove every faded flower at the right time. In addition to Leucanthemum, there are often other flowering plants in the garden that also want to be freed from faded plant parts. There is hardly any space left for relaxing on the garden lounger. There is an alternative solution for this, which also stimulates reblooming. We’re talking about a radical cut, with which you can remove all faded flowers at once.
- Cut after the first round of flowers
- around July to early August
- Cut back a third of the plant
A few weeks later, around September, Leucanthemum will bloom again. However, it may be that the after-flowering is a bit more modest in comparison. The cut will still be worth it.
Appropriate tool
Even if the withered flowers can be plucked off by hand, it is better to use suitable tools for this. It leaves clean cuts on the daisies that dry up quickly. This minimizes the risk of fungal infection at the open interfaces. Since many different plants are trimmed with the same pruning shears during the summer, it is also important to ensure that they are clean. It should be thoroughly disinfected with alcohol after each cutting pass.
encourage self-seeding
The Leucanthemum can self-seed. This is how she ensures the survival of her own kind. If you can get used to it, or even want to, you should allow her to set seeds. In this case, withered flowers must not be cut off.
- let the first flowers stand
- Specimens from late summer are unsuitable
- they may lack time and energy to fully mature
- even an early cold snap can come as a surprise
If you want to sow the daisies elsewhere, you should collect the ripe seeds in autumn before they fall to the ground.
Remove spent flowers before winter
Many garden or balcony owners get new daisies from the trade every year. They disposed of those from the previous year before winter. This perennial bloomer can be cultivated for several years. For this, pot specimens are brought into the house before the first frost. By then at the latest, the faded flowers should be cut off together with the shoots. Planted specimens can also survive the winter outdoors if they are protected. Faded blossoms interfere with covering and must also be removed here. Everything is cut back to a hand’s breadth above the ground. This also prevents fungal diseases.
