Snow Lady growing in front of taller Shasta Daisies
Shasta Daisies have long been a favorite in my summer garden. I love their cheery blooms and generally pick a few to augment my flower arrangements. Reasonably easy to grow, shasta daisies don’t seem to be bothered by a lot of pests and are tolerant of different soil conditions. My only complaint has been that if we get thunderstorms with a lot of wind, they get blown down and look terrible.
A few years ago I discovered a new variety of shasta daisy called Snow Lady. Hardy in zones 5-9, this variety only gets about a foot high but it has the same size blooms as the other shastas. It gets absolutely covered with flowers and will bloom through late summer. Then, when the blooms have faded and you cut back the old foliage, many times you will find fresh new greens already growing underneath and sometimes Snow Lady will even rebloom. Her stems are very sturdy and when the wind comes blowing through the yard, they stay erect. I still grow some of the taller daisies and I still like them until the winds come, but when I check the garden after a big storm, Snow Lady is the clear winner.
Also of note, I have planted Snow Lady in many different areas of my yard and she seems to do well everywhere, including some fairly dense shade. I think Snow Lady is a great new variety and is especially valuable in a small garden.
I will have to try that variety next year. I really don’t have a problem here with the regular variety though. I have started my shastas from seed in order to get a lot more of them. There is a variety of the early white daisies that I like too. They are related to the ones in the fields but a lot prettier. I like them too and if I have too many of them I just pull them out.