Daisy

"Daisy" is an everyday name for many members of the aster family (Asteraceae) that share a characteristic look. The common lawn daisy is Bellis perennis; the larger roadside oxeye daisy is Leucanthemum vulgare. The word itself comes from "day's eye," describing how the flowers open at dawn and close at dusk.

Botany. What looks like a single daisy flower is actually a composite head: a ring of petal-like ray florets surrounding a dense centre of tiny disc florets, each a complete flower. This efficient structure is one reason the aster family is among the largest of all plant families. Lawn daisies are low rosette-forming perennials; other daisies range up to tall border plants.

Care basics. Most daisies are undemanding, wanting full sun and ordinary, well-drained soil. The lawn daisy tolerates mowing and foot traffic and spreads readily through grass. Border types benefit from deadheading to prolong flowering. As a group they are among the easiest flowers to grow, which suits their reputation for simple cheerfulness.

Meaning and tradition. In the language of flowers the daisy signifies innocence, purity, loyal love, and new beginnings, and it features in the old "he loves me, he loves me not" petal-pulling game. A gift of daisies traditionally reads as cheerful and affectionate rather than grand. These associations are long-standing cultural conventions.

Wildlife value. Because each daisy head offers many tiny florets in one landing platform, daisies are excellent for pollinators, giving bees and hoverflies easy access to nectar and pollen. Leaving lawn daisies unmown for a while, or growing oxeye daisies in a meadow strip, is a simple way to support insects. The flowers close at night and in dull weather, opening again with the light.

As an April birth flower, the daisy pairs an almost foolproof plant with a light, warm symbolic meaning.