Mine always expire too :-(

Mine come back just fine even the really pretty yellow one 'Sonnenschein'. My nemesis seems to be bleeding heart. For the love of Pete everyone can grow these except me!
Remy

I have grown Becky, Aglaia, and Summer Snowball (fully double pom-pom type) and they have all grown well without any care. Summer Snowball does need staking, but it is very pretty and unique for a shasta daisy.

Gee, I never thought about it, but I guess I don't do so hot with daisies! My beautiful Sonnenschein I bought last year did not return, a clump of Little Miss Muffet(?) that I got several years ago has been hanging on for dear life for a few years, and I just noticed another daisy the other day that wasn't coming up (can't remember which one that was...)

I do have a clump of what I think is Becky, which I got at a swap a few years back that is doing quite well. But that's the only one!

Now that I think of it, I've tried for several years to get painted daisies going too. I know technically they are a different plant, but I still have the same result - nothing!

:)
Dee

Shasta Daisies seem to like me, but those Painted Daisies are another story. The only one that has lived more than 1 1/2 summers is the one my daughter started from seed when she was in Daisy Girl Scouts. She's 22 now. Bleeding Hearts, on the other hand, are about to take over what little shade garden I have. I really need to divide those things in the fall. They are pretty when they bloom, but with the July dieback thing they don't deserve the amount of space they are taking up.

Totally Confused

I have yet to get a named Shasta daisy to over winter in my zone and have tried many. I just let the old fashioned oxeye? daisy grow. Do have to hoe out many seedlings every year, but these look lovely in my cottage beds and work well for cut floral bouquets. Mary

Wow. A lot of sadness. My suggestion is twofold: heavy compost in the entire area around the Shastas, say a 3" layer tilled in (and a good 3") wood mulch. Soil pH may also have something to do with it, but I have never had a problem with 'Becky' and my soil is average 7.3 or so in red clay. I always modify the area around for three or four feet in diameter with compost. Hope this helps!
hortster

I've found that Shasta 'Becky' is extremely vigorous - BUT... you must divide it every few years to revitalize, otherwise it will noticeably decline.

Beth
Z5 Northern Michigan, near Traverse City

My first gardening friend in Mississippi was Peachie Saxon, of "Peachie's Pick Stokesia" fame. She gifted me with what she called her "Five Dollah Daisy". Her story was that her garden club friend saw it growing in someone's garden and asked them "How much do you want for a piece?" expecting them to give it to her. They promptly said "Five Dollahs". She was too embarassed not to buy it, so she gave them the money, and forevermore that has been its name. I divide and discard two thirds of every clump each and every year so they don't take the entire bed.

The only one I've had success with is Crazy Daisy. I've killed a couple Beckys, and they grow like weeds at my sister's house, only 10 miles away. This year I got a division off of one of hers, so we'll see how it goes this time around. If it croaks, the 3 times rule applies here.

Deanna

Has anyone grown Sonnenschein from seed? They are beautiful. I love that soft yellow.
Tammy

Shasta daisy (many and various varieties) has never liked any of my Michigan gardens either. Until the last few years I have considered them short-lived perennials, if not outright annuals. I believe that it is a drainage issue rather than a cold problem.

In my current garden (15 years old) which has the worst clay I have ever seen (I hesitate to use the word soil for what I plant in - despite constant amending) I have found at least a partial solution.

Use a sturdy shasta like Becky, in a high part of the yard, preferably near a house wall under the eaves, away from the drainage flows, or between the house and a concrete walk, raise the planting as high as possible, add gravel to the bottom of the planting hole, and in the amended planting clay itself, thinning it well -- and they grow and return and SPREAD (a bit outwards anyway). It's a miracle!

I've found that Montauk Daisies are a better plant here in Mi, but they do bloom in a different season. The foliage is clean, crisp and looks like a sedum more than a daisy.

My shastas have been short-lived too, with better luck if I reseed the plants personally each year.

~Chills

I had maybe 4 varieties of Shasta 2 years ago and decided I didn't enjoy them. They didn't quickly rebloom after deadheading and I spent too much time looking at foliage. I thought they grew too quickly and I didn't want to keep dividing them. I don't remember having any trouble with them coming back. I don't miss them. I love daisies so I don't understand why I can't find one I enjoy. This year I made an impulse buy of a Snow Lady Shasta when perennials were on sale. So, I'll see if this time around will be any different.

Oh and I started quite a few from seed, winter sowing method and they worked out great.

Tammy,
I've never found viable seed in my Sonnenschein. I'm wondering if it is sterile.
Remy