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English Daisy
Bellis perennis
Also comes in white and red.
English Daisy blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing English Daisy
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 6 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant English Daisy
Plant English Daisy in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does English Daisy get?
6 intall5 ft 7 inan adult6 inwideSee English Daisy in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant English Daisy
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space English Daisy about 6 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add English Daisy to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
English Daisy's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 6 published sources on October 22, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- provendernurseries.co.ukProvender Nurseriesheight, spread, sun and water
- victoriananursery.co.ukVictoriana Nursery Gardensheight and sun
- Chicago Botanic Gardenwater
- Penn State Extensionsun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about English Daisy
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Eating a lot can cause mild stomach upset, and handling can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive people. per NC State
Worth knowing
One thing, its hatred of summer heat, drives everything: it ends the spring bloom, makes the plant short-lived, and lets it self-seed only where summers stay cool. per NC State
Not the toxic 'daisy'
The 'daisy' that NC State Extension lists as a problem for dogs and cats is Chrysanthemum, a different plant; do not mix up the two. per NC State
Self-seeds; deadhead to control
It self-seeds heavily into lawns, where it becomes a turf weed in cool, moist regions. Deadhead spent flowers before seed ripens to curb the spread. per NC State and Penn State
Edible in small amounts
The flowers (mildly bitter) and young leaves have long been eaten in small amounts, raw in salads or cooked in soups and teas. per NC State
Deer resistant
Listed as particularly resistant to deer. per NC State
Nectar for pollinators
The open composite flower heads offer nectar to butterflies and other pollinators, a modest generalist forage source rather than a top-tier pollinator magnet. per NC State
What pairs well with English Daisy
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; stands well above at 6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
False Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; stands well above at 4 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; stands well above at 6.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Love-Lies-Bleeding
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Cleome
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; stands well above at 4 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage.
Winterberry
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in mid fall, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 6.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; stands well above at 5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.