Painted Daisies
Tanacetum coccineum, or Pyrethrum roseum
Painted daisy is an easy to grow perennial producing wonderful colored daisies for cut flowers from late spring into early summer. Long lasting in the vase, good for pollinators and they’re showy in a perennial bed since they have some deer resistance.
Flowers
Colored daisies, 2-3 in. wide on sturdy stems 1-2 ½ ft. tall. Colors include a cool red, light and dark pinks, and some white. They bloom in late spring to early summer, and if deadheaded may come back for another flush of flowers.
Plants
Lacy, ferny foliage. Semi-deciduous, meaning most of the foliage dies back but enough remains through the winter so that it shows.
Growing the plants
This is an easy to grow plant, needing good garden soil. Average water is fine.
Painted daisy flowers in the late spring into early summer. If you keep it deadheaded, not allowing any flowers to go to seed, you may get a second round of flowers later in the summer. Then you can let it go to seed for the birds and to collect to grow more. After a few years the plant is big enough to divide.
On this page
Harvesting
Just cut the stem at the bottom, strip foliage off, and place in water as usual. Cool water is fine here since painted daisies bloom in cooler weather.
Favorite Varieties
Mixed painted daisy seeds include cool red, light and dark pinks, and white. Robinson’s Red is all red, but it’s a little more of a magenta red. I always seek out Robinson’s Red when I buy them, but the pinks are also very nice in spring bouquets. The only problem with whites is that if you already grow Shasta daisies, the white painted daisies are redundant.
Sources
Seeds are available from many sources and are available in local nurseries. They’re becoming more popular so I have been seeing more starts in 6-packs and some in 4 in. pots. Painted daisies are well worth growing!