I have had earwigs eat holes in the petals, but not turn the actual flower brown...sounds like something other than earwigs. I overhead water too...and sometimes get glacial silt on the flowers (which wipes off), but haven't had that problem. Is it a water issue maybe??

Let us know how it goes!
Wendy

Thrips? They like white flowers. They're tiny enough to do their damage without being easily seen.

What kind of Shasta daisy is it, and is it an old plant that made good flowers in previous years, or is it many plants? I have a Crazy Daisy plant that makes flowers that start out yellowish and then get more tan edges when they open. That just seems to be its color practice. Obviously, I have to pull it out. All the other Crazy Daisies around it behave normally.

Are the plants otherwise normal? Any discoloration of the leaves and/or stems?

Jeanne

Here's a scan.
I've seen light green bugs, about 1/5th of an inch long, on the flowers, slugs on the leaves during the day (and slug damage on the leaves), and earwigs in the flowers at night.
The first few years the daisies were fine, it's only these past two years they've been like this, and worse this year than last. Maybe there are earwig nesting now around their base?

There's also a small worm damaging our Tetra snapdragon blooms - sometimes it's discouraging, this simple business of growing flowers.

{{gwi:625076}}

Do you think that the flowers might be getting damp?

It looks as if the blooms are rotting around the centre. Are they being overwatered? Are you watering over the blooms as opposed to watering around the base of the plant? This could cause water to collect in the flower itself, which would then cause mould.

Hope this helps!

Pollie.

Jeanne, I've just read that shasta daisies can be used as a trap crop for thrips. These are new to me - I'll examine the flowers more closely. The leaves do have a silvery damage that I was blaming slugs (which were highly visible) for.

Pollie, we've had abundant rain so in a sense, overhead watering. Most of the rain fell before and while the buds were just forming though so I don't think that's the problem. And no other flower has similar damage.

Btw what I meant above was "this 'simple' business" of flower growing. I've only just scratched the surface and realize more and more how much knowledge and dedication you growers must possess.

And Btw, the lady who asked two months ago for flowers for the wedding, particularly sunflowers, and for whom I planted special varieties, which I've babied all this time - she called yesterday looking for produce and when I asked about the flowers she said, "Oh I won't be doing that; the girl's mother is taking care of the decorations. But if you want to give us a bouquet for the table that would be nice."

This lady is renowned hereabouts for such flightiness yet I keep falling for it, like Linus and Lucy with the football.

Charlie Brown himself

Are the Shasta daisies Alaska? I noticed this cultivar has sparse leaves with dark streaks. I pulled mine.

Paul NS, I'd give her a bouquet for her table along with a nice bountiful bill for your efforts. Ick. A situation like that is exactly why I don't entertain the thought of being a professionsal flower grower ever. Humanity is so disappointing sometimes. It is more fun to give them away and garner goodwill.
I do hope you stand up for yourself and let your displeasure be known. Don't write her off as a flake, make her accountable for her request and then renegging. You deserve it.
BTW, Daisies are low man on the totem pole here: I pulled the shasta Alaska's too, too much trouble for too little bang. Don't know who might be besmirching your blooms but I wish you well in finding out.

Poochella that's exactly the thought that crossed my mind. What a jerk, eh? She sent her husband to pick up the produce. I didn't mention the bouquet and neither did he. I hope she asked him about them when he got home and is disappointed (though I doubt it as she grows some flowers herself - asking me for 'a bouquet for the table' was like flipping me a quarter). How's that for standing up for myself and letting my displeasure be known? :) Not sure I'm assertive enough for this job.

Anyhow, I owe the husband for getting me a very good job last year. Around here, sales keep turning into barter.

You all have me thinking about ripping out these daisies in favour of the Highland beauties Liza showed. First though I'll investigate 'thrips' further.

Paul, the thrips wouldn't be damaging the leaves, but the slugs could be. Thrips are tiny enough to get into a flower when so little of it is open that it wouldn't look open to you, and they prefer white flowers, so they could be your culprit. That, or the too-much-rain is just plain rotting them. Are Shasta daisies a short-lived perennial there, as they are here? Here, they weaken after a few years and it's best to replace them then. I don't know how long they perform in your climate.

We have some thrips here, and I have a few of them on most of my white flowers, but they aren't enough to cause any visible injury here, as there are so few of them. They don't like our cold nights, thank goodness, so they don't thrive here.

Jeanne

Jeanne, Thrips do terrible damage to glad foliage...long brown desicated strips, so I would think they could do the same to Daisies.

For you daisy lovers out there, another lovely daisy is the Esther Reed daisy. Quite an oldie but it has an anemone center and I have less trouble with pollen allergies to it then to the shastas.

As for shasta dying out and getting weedy in a few years...don't I wish! I must have the perfect enviroment for them. They turn up growing in the compost heap,. the "wild land" and ever increasing size patches taking over my moongarden! I tore my back up badly a few years ago trying to pull out 3 yr old clumps of shasta Alaska and you would never know I removed them now! They have eaten the Iceberg rose and are advancing on Fragrant Wave...run for your lives...attack of the Shasta Alaskas!

PS. planted in sand over clay on a north facing slope.