 |
| My Backyard Daisies (image by Cynthia Zirkwitz) |
This Spring-Summer 2026 season on Beautiful Vancouver Island is abundant in blossoms from the lovely native Rhododendron to a huge spectrum of magnificent flowers of a wide rainbow of colors--stunning ""new"" cultivars to a heavenly Bee Buffet of ""wild flowers."" It's a glorious place and time to be alive.
When we moved here just over 20 years ago, I was quite taken by the wild flowers that the locals described as ""invasive weeds""-- the flawlessly pure white trumpet-like ''bind weed,"" for example, or the gorgeous blue ""bellflowers."" But my favorite of the maligned blooms was the cheerful and prolific ""Oxeye daisy."" I was fascinated by this pretty little flower that grew in what we discovered was the gravel of our front yard, twice as vigorous as the shasta daisy, a recognized ""real flower.""
Even some of the locals were fine with it, both older women who loved the floral. One, named Donna, let her backyard go to daisies around the time of the annual July 1st parade, because she said, "They give such a great show, and I'm all for a great show."" Another friend, Marion, told me that she simply adored daisies of any kind and had named her little Schnauzer ""Miss Daisy"".
This year I looked with a bit of a jaundiced eye upon the big drifts of oxeye daisies in both my back and front yard. They were beautiful as long as they bloomed, but not so much when they wilted en masse. Our son took a few pictures and I posted them to my Facebook page. Through the eyes of others I received a renewed appreciation for this jaunty little daisy. Why had I never explored "things to do with daisies"" the way I had with other herbs?
So, here is a brief tour of one of the favored ''invasive'' plants in our yard, including some of the arty and crafty things that can be done with this little freebie stunner.
Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)seeds are tiny, ribbed, and prolific, with a single plant capable of
producing thousands. While popular in wildflower mixes, they are
highly invasive in parts of BC. If you intend to grow them,
cold stratification in winter is crucial, and it is best to plant them
in contained areas to avoid spreading.
Seed Profile & Characteristics
Appearance: Small, dark, ribbed seeds (achenes) with a prominent top peg.
Quantity: A single mature flower head can produce hundreds of
seeds, and one plant can yield anywhere from 2,000 to 26,000 seeds.
Viability: Seeds can remain viable in the soil for anywhere
from 5 to 40 years.
How to Grow
Cold Stratification: Seeds require 4 to 6 weeks of cold,moist conditions (like a refrigerator) to germinate successfully.
Sowing: Broadcast seeds lightly on top of the soil in full sun. Because they
need light to germinate, press them gently into the dirt but do not bury
them deeply.
Germination: Typically takes 10 to 28 days.
Important Considerations for BC
Because of its aggressive creeping roots and prolific seed dispersal, the
oxeye daisy is considered an invasive plant in British Columbia, easily out
competing native plants and reducing forage quality.
Deadheading: Cut off the dead flower heads immediately after blooming to prevent the
m from setting and scattering seeds.
Local Alternatives: Consider planting native or non-invasive alternatives
like the showy daisy (Erigeron speciosus) or blanket flower Gaillardia aristata. **
an angle prevents the stem from resting flat against the bottoof the vase, which allows for maximum water absorption.
3 Simple & Elegant Arrangements
You do not need intricate design training for these looks; they rely
on the natural cluster and form of the daisies.
1. The Rustic Mason Jar Cluster (Beginner-Friendly)
This arrangement relies on strength in numbers to create a dense,
cheerful look.
The Vessel: A classic glass mason jar, clear glass pitcher, or
vintage milk jug.
The Technique: Cut all your daisy stems to roughly the same
height (about 1.5 times the height of your jar).
Gather them into a dense bunch in your hand,
slightly crisscrossing the stems, and drop them
into the jar. The stems will support each other and
naturally fan out into a perfect dome.
2. The Wildflower Meadow Mix
This style embraces a relaxed, "just gathered from a meadow" aesthetic
by introducing a mix of textures.
The Vessel: A medium-sized ceramic pitcher or a wide-mouthed
vase.
The Technique: Combine your daisies with local, non-invasive garden
plants or grasses. Excellent companions include the
purple blooms of blank flowers (Gaillardia),salvia, or ferns. Place your foliage and structural plants
into the vase first to create a green framework, then tuck
your oxeye daisies into the gaps so they peek out at
different heights.
3. The Minimalist "Bud Vase" Trio
If you struggle with balancing large bouquets, dividing flowers into
smaller groups is foolproof.
The Vessel: Three small, narrow-necked glass bottles or bud vases
of varying heights.
The Technique: Cut the stems to different lengths so each vase holds
flowers at a distinct height. Place just one to three daisy
stems into each bottle, along with a single blade of
decorative grass or a sprig of mint. Arrange the three
bottles together in a small cluster or a straight line down
the center of your table.
How to Maintain and Care for the Arrangement
Oxeye daisies can easily last 7 to 10 days in a vase if you follow these
basic maintenance steps:
Strip the Foliage: Remove all leaves from the lower two-thirds of the stems. No leaves
should sit below the waterline. Submerged leaves rot rapidly, creating
bacteria that clogs the stems and causes the water to smell bad.
Use Cool, Clean Water: Fill your vase with cool tap water. If you have
flower food packets, use them to inhibit bacterial growth.
Change Water Every 2 Days: Daisies are thirsty and can make water cloudy quickly. Empty the vase
, rinse it out, and refill it with fresh water every two days
Recut the Stems: Every time you change the water, snip about 1 cm
(half an inch) off the bottom of the stems at a fresh angle to reopen
the water-drinking pathways.
Location: Keep the arrangement away from direct sunlight, drafts, and ripening
fruit (which releases ethylene gas that ages flowers prematurely).
🌼Next: To make bookmarks and paper decor with pressed oxeye daisies, you must use completely dry, flat flowers to ensure they do not rot or ruin the paper over time.
Here is how to create durable bookmarks and elegant botanical paper crafts:
Making Pressed Flower Bookmarks
Choose the backing: Cut heavy cardstock into strips measuring roughly 5 by 15 centimetres.
Arrange the design: Arrange your pressed daisies and small leaves on the cardstock.
Use a toothpick dipped in clear craft glue to apply a tiny dot to the
back of each flower to hold it in place.
Seal with laminate: Protect the design using clear self-adhesive laminating sheets or
a home laminating machine. Smooth out air bubbles from the center
outward using a scraper or credit card.
Trim and punch: Cut around the edges, leaving a small plastic border so the laminate
stays sealed. Punch a hole at the top and tie a satin ribbon or tassel
through it.
Bookmarks without the kraft paper backing: As you may have noticed if you checked out the Etsy page for botanical bookmarks most of their bookmarks are merely encased in clear plastic laminate
paper, no kraft paper, writing, etc. Your choice! Have fun!
Other Types of Daisy Paper Decor
Handmade Greeting Cards: Glue your pressed daisies onto folded kraft paper cards using acid-free
glue. Write your message around the flowers, or use a fine-liner pen to
draw whimsical stems and roots.
Botanical Shadow Boxes: Arrange several pressed daisies on textured watercolor paper. Secure
them with dots of glue, then place the paper inside a glass shadow box
frame. The depth of the frame protects the delicate flower centers from
being crushed.
Decoupage Lanterns: Brush Mod Podge matte sealer onto a plain paper lantern or heavy parchment paper wrapped around
a glass jar. Press the daisies into the wet glue, let it dry, and apply a thin
topcoat of Mod Podge to seal it. Light it using a battery-operated LED
tealight.
Essential Tools to Get Started
Glue: Lineco acid-free liquid glue** is the best choice because it will not discolor your white daisy petals
or turn yellow over time.
Tweezers: Use fine-tip craft tweezers to pick up and place the fragile, paper-thin
petals without tearing them.
*Enjoy your flowers! Tips, funny stories, and questions are joyfully received
in the comments below.
**Organic Granny is reader sustained. We receive a small commission for purchases from
our eligible affiliate links--with Etsy and Amazon above.
Thank you for your support!
Comments
Post a Comment
Organic Granny really appreciates your thoughtful comments!