As summer slides towards autumn, there’s a group of plants that are still flowering their socks off. The daisies. and I don’t mean lawn daisies, I mean the whole extended family.
And that’s the thing about plant families, they really are a miss mash of all the second cousins, the barmy aunt, plus a few flamboyant characters alongside the run of the mill commoners. It’s better than an episode of east enders, with a hint of I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of here. There’s always one or two prima donnas that have huge egos and take over the theatrical journey of the garden.
Daisies are probably one of the plants that we all meet as children, either on the school playing field or on the garden lawn. I remember picking daisies for making daisy chains. These small, pretty flowers are the harbingers of spring and yet often disregarded, or regarded as lawn pests, or the poor cousins of the family.
But the daisy family is huge. The flowers are much more important than you could ever imagine, especially for pollinators and foraging insects.
So, what makes a daisy a daisy?
So the centre is made up of many tiny flowers called florets and the petals around the edge, called ray florets, act as flags that broadcast the availability of pollen and nectar to passing insects. The many florets, rich in nectar and pollen provide a copious buffet for pollinators. Flowers in the daisy family provide food for the shorter tongued pollinators like many of the solitary bees and even the honeybee.
A daisy by any other name
Originally, the daisy family was called the Compositae family due to the composite structure of the flowers. It means many parts. Then last century in the 1950s botanists renamed the family Asteracea, after the genus aster. And together with the asters, there are many other fabulous members of the family, including sunflowers, echinacea and even dandelions. But to me these are virtual dinner plates or landing pads for insects. They can land on the flowers and wander around feeding on the copious nectar and pollen within each and every floret. If you want to help the bees and other pollinators then plants in the daisy family are a powerful place to start.
Fantastical daisies
Some daisies do far more than look pretty in our gardens. We’ve already explored the value of many daisies to our pollinators, but some daisy plants have extraordinary medicinal powers too. And one daisy, namely Codd’s berkheya (Berkheya coddii) which is a rare south African daisy has an incredible technique to ward of predators and insect pests that feed on the plants. Locally it’s known as the nickel accumulator plant because it grows on soils rich in heavy metals and actually takes up the nickel into the plant, which it stores in the leaves and other plant tissues. This is thought to make it toxic to foraging herbivores.
Then there’s the electric daisy. You might have come across this weird and wonderful flower in posh cocktail bars. Eating the flowers results in a weird, mouth numbing, buzzing sensation a bit like an electric shock. the plant was called spilanthes, but has been renamed to Acmella oleracea. Chamomile is a more commonly known type of daisy that induces a calming effect when the flowers are brewed in tea. And did you that arnica was in the daisy family too? This power herb is full of healing properties and is revered for healing sprains and bruises when applied as a cream topically. Arnica should not be ingested.
And then there’s pyrethrum, another member of the daisy family and another reminder that not everything that is natural is safe. Some of the most toxic ingredients actually come from plants and fungi. Pyrethrum daisies contain several chemicals called pyrethrins and these are powerful natural insecticides. It’s a nerve agent against insects especially fleas and lice.
Five garden daisies
Hopefully you are intrigued enough to explore some of the daisies that could grow in an around your garden.
Colourful Cosmos
If you are looking for something to grow in your garden that is colourful, fabulous and easy from seed, do consider growing cosmos. These spectacular flowers are perfect for cut flowers and also for our pollinators. Perfect for pots and also for the flower border, cosmos are a summer stalwart and a fabulous member of the daisy family.
Amazing asters
As summer slides into autumn asters are the stars of the flower borders. Their small but prolific daisy flowers are a life saver for many late active pollinators like hoverflies, some of our bumblebees and also for wasps and flies. Nectar supplies are scarce in hot weather and many summer plants have finished flowering so the source of nectar from asters is a vital supply for many creatures.
Sunny Sunflowers
These are the giants of the daisy family and a fantastic addition to the garden, balcony or patio. The huge flowers are rich in pollen and nectar and the resulting seeds provide vital food for finches and other seed eating birds. Grow them at the back of the border, cut them for vases in your home and enjoy their towering heights with the children who will love growing these friendly, smiley giants from seed in spring.
Exquisite Echinacea
One of my very favourite plants is echinacea, and it’s a type of daisy. I love the late summer colour, the honey scented cones and the beautiful arrangement of petals. They are a bee magnet in my garden and provide a vital source of nectar for late active pollinators.
Dandy Dandelions
And finally, the dandy dandelion. Possibly the most important member of the daisy family, at least in the UK. First these are the harbingers of spring. Their sunny yellow flowers are rich in nectar and also contain pollen. This is one plant that most pollinators can access the protein rich pollen and the sugar rich nectar easily and that makes it an open diner for pollinators. The flat heads are the perfect dinner plates for our pollinating pals. But it’s not just the flowers that are important, the seed heads are a source of food for our seed eating birds.
There are so many other dramatic daisies you can grow in your garden, from dahlias to heleniums. So take a closer look at the plants and flowers in your garden and spend a little time with the crazy daisies, it might open your eyes to a whole new palette of colour and wonder you’d never noticed before.