Want to overwinter your daisies so their blooms will delight you again next year? Some daisies are hardy – they can overwinter outdoors. Other daisies you should definitely protect from frost in the winter.
Daisies bloom all summer long and are therefore very popular ornamental plants. There are more than 40 different species of daisies! Some of them have different requirements – even in winter. If you want to overwinter daisies, you should follow some tips.
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Overwintering daisies – the right preparation
From the end of August, you no longer need to fertilize your daisy. This way it will stop growing and you will slowly prepare it for the dormant season.
Remove dry parts of the plant and dried leaves from your daisy. They drain energy from the root.
Inspect your daisy for pests and remove injured or diseased plant parts. If you find pests, be sure to remove them before wintering the daisy.
Certain varieties should be cut back before winter. Other varieties should be cut back in spring. Please ask your local gardener about your daisy variety.
Properly cut back daisies
Before winter, remove flowers and withered shoots from your shrub daisies in the container. You should not prune them more in the fall – otherwise they could dry out over the winter. Before they come outside in the spring, you can trim them by about two-thirds.
Marguerite stems can be cut back in the fall. Do not cut off the shoots completely, but shorten them by about two thirds. This gives the plant more energy for the winter.
Winter-hardy daisies should be cut back in the fall. It is best to cut them back before the first frost. Cut the plant back to about a hand’s width above the ground.
Overwintering daisies in the garden
Hardy daisies usually survive the winter without additional protection. You can cover the cut-back daisy with fir brushwood, leaves or jute to protect it from particularly cold frost.
Your daisy in a container needs little moisture in winter. Make sure that no water collects on your daisy and forms waterlogging. This can cause the plant to rot.
Tip: Plant your daisy directly in a protected location, such as close to a wall. The protection will help it through the winter.
Overwintering daisies in pots
Non-winter-hardy daisies can be overwintered in a pot.
Leave your daisy outside as long as possible. As soon as the first night frost appears, you should bring them indoors at night. During the day you can leave it outside until the middle/end of October. Then you should bring them into their winter quarters.
The room should be bright and cool. Temperatures between five and twelve degrees are ideal. Since daisies do not tolerate frost, the room should not be too cold. You should also avoid direct sunlight – this could cause the daisy to bloom prematurely.
Suitable places are, for example, a bright stairwell or an unheated conservatory.
Your daisy needs high humidity and plenty of fresh air in winter. Air the room regularly and make sure it doesn’t get too cold.
Overwintering daisies – the right care
- Let your daisy dry out first in its winter quarters. Do not water it again until it has lost all of its foliage. Remove fallen leaves from the pot regularly to prevent rotting.
- Once your daisy has lost its foliage, it needs very little water. It does not grow in winter. Therefore, it is enough if you water it every two to four weeks. The substrate should never dry out completely. In spring you can slowly water it a little more. The colder the wintering area, the less water your daisy will need.
- Spray your daisy with lukewarm water from time to time.
- Check your daisies regularly for pests or diseases.
- If you are wintering multiple daisies, do not place the plants too close together.
Planting daisies
From March you can accustom your daisies to warmer temperatures. Place them in a bright, warmer spot in your home. Slowly start watering and fertilizing the plant more. From mid-May, when you no longer expect night frost, you can put the daisies outdoors again.