Fleabane Daisy is a member of the aster family has an erect, hairy stem that bears flowerheads full of white or pale pink ray flowers near the top of the plant. These flowers surround a yellow disk near and are held up by green sepals. The fragrance is mild but noticeable. In this the plant is much like its cousin the oxeye daisy though the rays, which can number 50 to 120, are short compared to the diameter of the disk. It may also be mistaken for an aster, but it blooms much earlier in the season. The toothed, slender, lance-shaped, hairy leaves are up to 5 inches in length and the plant increases from 1 to 5 feet tall. It gets its name from the belief that the flowers, when dried, would chase the fleas out of a house.
Benefits Of Fleabane Daisy
Some botanists believe that the plant is an annual or a biannual, which means it only lives for one season or two seasons. Others believe it is a perennial. Even if the plant is an annual, it self-seeds so abundantly many gardeners treat it like a perennial.
When To Plant This Perennial
It is best for hardiness zones 3 to 8 and flowers from June to October, though there maybe a pause in blooming during the hottest part of the summer. The flowers lead to achenes which have tufts that allow the wind to blow them away.
Us At Garden Plants Nursery Love This Plant
Fleabane daisy prefers well-drained loam and full sun, though it can do well in partial sun and is not particular about the kind of soil as long as it drains well. Some gardeners find that it flourishes in gravelly, clayey, alkaline soil. Seedlings should be thinned to about 18 inches apart, and the plants can be divided in spring. It is a wonderful plant for a meadow garden and attracts a host of pollinators.
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