A Gardener’s ‘First Love’

Everyone loves marguerite daisies, particularly ‘First Love,’ the anemone-centered pink hybrid shown here.

Fall-planted marguerites are a sure bet in the Southland; spring-planted plants are a bit less dependable where summers are terribly hot. These fast-growing, frost-tender shrubs are short-lived perennials, which means that they perform well for only a year or two. They stage a magnificent show in the spring if they’re planted in the fall, or in the summer when they’re planted in the spring. They are available in pony packs, four-inch pots or one-gallon containers. We like four-inch pots best, since gallon-size plants have little chance to develop the enormous root systems necessary to support big bushes. And the tiny pony-pack plants don’t always develop symmetrically.

Marguerites are excellent for fast effects in beds and containers. They grow so quickly, though, that they rapidly crowd out surrounding plants. Allow four feet for each plant. Don’t plant marguerites near sprinkler heads, and be prepared for considerable sprawl if you irrigate from above. Despite their cheerful beauty, marguerites have been banned from more than one garden because of their overzealous growth. ‘First Love’ is especially prone to sprawl because of its heavy blooms, so staking in the early stages is recommended.

Although only a few hybrid marguerites have been named, some plants are marked compact. These plants have flowers somewhat smaller and are a bit tighter and sturdier than regular varieties. You need to provide marguerites with well-prepared soil and ample water, but skip the fertilizer because that only promotes foliage growth. In growing marguerites, the worst pests that are likely to appear are aphids, often deposited on the plants by ants, and scale. Spray the plants--according to directions--with an insecticidal soap or an insecticide if necessary.