Daisies are bright and colorful flowers available in many varieties. They are a common pick for home gardening as they are easy to grow. This article is all about growing these extremely popular flowers outdoors.

Daisies are one of the preferred choices for people who love to beautify their interiors with flowers. It is quick and easy to pick up beautiful daisies from the florist and place them in vases to accentuate a room's decor. But I bet, it would be more rewarding to place flowers you have grown in your private garden. Daisies are hardy plants that can tolerate poor quality soil and less sunlight. However, if you want them to flourish and produce beautiful blooms every year, you need to provide them with proper growing conditions. Growing daisies at home is not at all a difficult task and requires little attention, once the plant has established itself in the soil. Two ways come into picture when we think of growing daisies at home.

• The first way of growing these beautiful flowers is by using young daisy plants.
• The second way to grow these is by using seeds.

If you cannot wait for the seeds to grow into flowering plants, young daisy plants must be your choice. At least your waiting period to see your plants blooming will be reduced to some extent. Daisies usually bloom in the second year after planting.

Steps to Grow Daisies

Using Seeds

1. Buy daisy seeds from a local nursery or a renowned seed catalog. Make sure that they are of good quality so that they grow well to produce gorgeous blooms. There are many types of daisies available which can either be perennial or annual. Perennial daisies produce flowers year after year, but annuals bloom for a single year, after which they fail to grow again. Therefore, choose your pick and buy seeds accordingly.
2. Decide the area of your garden where you would like the daisies to grow. Make sure the area you choose is protected well, receives plenty of sunlight, and has a well-drained soil.
3. To prepare the soil with sufficient nutrients for the seeds to grow well, add some organic compost in the garden soil and mix well.
4. Loosen the soil by using a rake. Scatter the seeds directly on the soil and cover them with a thin layer of soil.
5. Water the area sufficiently to keep the soil moist, so as to facilitate germination. Daisy seeds take around 2-4 weeks for germination.
6. When the seedlings are around 3 inches in size, it is time to rearrange them so that every seedling has sufficient space and share of nutrients to grow well. To do this, remove a seedling carefully and place it in such a way that it has around 12 inches of space around it. Make sure that every seedling has its space.
7. Water the seedlings regularly. As the plants grow, they will become dense and require more space. Therefore, space them out each time you feel there isn't enough area for them to grow well.
8. When the seeds turn into young plants, shift them to a permanent area which is capable of providing essential requirements for their growth.
9. Fertilize the soil once in a month, specially during the growing stage, so that young plants have all that they need to mature.
10. To obtain big, bright blooms, fertilize the soil with a fertilizer high in phosphorous content prior to the blooming period. With the arrival of second year (after planting), daisies will bloom.
11. Take care of flowering daisies by regular watering, fertilizing and spacing (when overcrowded), and your flowers will never disappoint you.

Using Young Plants

1. Buy young daisy plants from a gardening store. Pick the ones which have green foliage and do not have any signs of damage or disease.
2. Young plants can be directly planted in the garden soil. Pick a place which receives complete sunlight. Add manure to fertilize the soil.
3. Daisies look best when they are planted in clusters. So, decide the arrangement before actually planting them in soil.
4. Make a hole in the soil, large enough to easily accommodate the young plant. Tap the sides of the plant container to easily remove the plant from it. Obtain a reasonable size of root ball by gently shedding extra soil.
5. Plant the root ball in the hole at the same depth as it was in the container. Planting it deeper in the soil will hamper the growth of young daisies.
6. Cover the hole entirely with soil and make sure the plant is firmly placed. Water the plant to maintain moisture content.
7. As mentioned before, fertilize young daisies every month and water them regularly. Just before blooming, add a high phosphorous fertilizer to get good quality blooms.
8. In colder regions, add a thick layer of mulch to protect daisies from extreme cold temperatures.

Insects usually do not affect daisies, therefore, you do not have to really bother about them. But rarely, if you observe insects attacking the plant, a fungicide or an insecticidal soap will solve the problem. Diseases are also not commonly known to affect daisies.

Now you know how easy it is to grow these lovely flowers in the garden! I am sure you will be left happy and satisfied after seeing these beautiful perennials blooming in your garden. So, Happy Gardening!