Why Aren't My Shasta Daisies Developing Flowers?

Have you been regularly pruning faded blooms from your Shasta daisies?

Have you been dividing your Shasta daisies periodically?

Have you been fertilizing Shasta daisies excessively?

Were the temperatures unusually high or low lately?

Are your Shasta daisies receiving at least 6 hours of sunlight during a day?

Regular deadheading of Shastas promotes healthy blooming until the end of the season. Otherwise, blooming slows and the plant directs its energy into producing seeds. Additionally, prune the plant to a height of about 3 inches after blooming ends for the season.

Shasta daisies generally benefit from division every three to four years, especially if you notice the plant isn’t blooming or looks tired and overgrown. Discard old, woody plant centers. Replant healthy clumps with two or three shoots and at least four or five roots.

Too much fertilizer, especially high-nitrogen fertilizer, encourages the production of lush, leafy plants with few, or no blooms at all. Dig a few shovelfuls of compost or well-rotted manure into the soil around the plant, then feed Shasta daisies every three months throughout the growing season, using a low-nitrogen fertilizer. Adding bone meal will help too.

High temperatures can stress the plant and slow blooming until the weather moderates. On the other hand, a late freeze can nip the buds and prevent blooms for the coming season. Keep a layer of mulch on top of the soil where your Shastas are growing to alleviate temperature extremes.

Shasta daisies are tough, drought-tolerant plants that don't like soggy soil. Unless the daisies are newly planted, they need water only when rainfall is less than about an inch per week. Water deeply at ground level to keep the foliage and blooms dry, then allow the soil to dry before watering again. Be sure the daisies are planted in loose, well-drained soil.

Shasta daisies like lots of sunlight, and without it, they will not bloom. You may need to move them to a sunnier location, but if it’s hot, wait until early autumn, about six weeks before the first average frost date in your area.