Winter Sowing Shasta Daisy White Knight

13 years ago

I finally found this Shasta Daisy which is shorter than Alaska and suited my needs. The packet said it was a perennial and so I went ahead and winter sowed it. I have just read Dave's description and they do not suggest winter sowing. In referring to the packet, they also suggest planting outside after the frost. I also just saw Token's post and they were grown in the hoop house. Is this a tender perennial that won't withstand winter sowing? The seeds were very expensive - $2.95 for just ten seeds, so I need it to grow. Anyone has any experience with it? Informtion would be much apprecited. Thank you.

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Comments (11)

LilBlossom
13 years ago
I don't have any experience with that plant in particular, but after reading up about it, I'd just throw it outside with the rest of the wintersown stuff. It's hardy to zone 5 and according to other online resources it reseeds freely, which to me would indicate that it should wintersow just fine.

Just about ALL packages of seed say: Sow after danger of last frost has passed. I'm thinking it's just the seed producers way of guarding themselves just in case something should happen. (Think McDonalds coffee cups with their CAUTION hot liquid! warnings)
gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
I'm growing Shasta daisy 'Snow Lady' for the same reason--I want the daisies but I wanted them short. They get positive reviews on Dave's Garden altho' one poster commented that hers spread quite a bit. I don't have a problem with them spreading out and filling in the beds since they're supposed to bloom right through the season into the fall. They're only supposed to get 6-12" tall.

I checked what Dave's had to say about White Knight and they have it growing 24"-36" tall like many other Shasta varieties. The dwarf 'Snow Lady' seeds from Burpee are available at the big box and jobs lots stores.
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rouge21 - Have to agree with your comment re: L. 'Banana Cream.' I'm glad I've learned (the difficult, sadly,costly way) that nurseries de$perately want serious as well as amateur gardeners to foam at the mouth & shell out their $$ in order to purchase whatever they're pushing each year in terms of New or Improved perennials. I've only been perennial gardening in any serious way for less than the last 10 years but I've quickly discovered that the new introductions so very often disappoint. I'm guessing for serious gardeners, the 'twice bitten, once shy' may become our mantra but I do pity the newbies who will continue to be unknowingly sucked in to the marketing maelstrom. My best advice to any newbies is this: ask first, spend after. There's plenty of good advice on this forum that might save you $$ in the short term and enhance your gardening experience/flowerbeds in the end. Each of us who are more experienced has a vision of what our beds should look like once we've accomplished our goals. It's not a short road to achieve what you envision the way your garden will ultimately present itself. Picture it in your head, the look you'd like to drive
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I have winter sown Shasta Daisy 'Alaska', but I find that it grew very tall in its second year and needed staking. For that reason I want to replace it with a shorter one. It has just started blooming in my garden and if cut back will give another bloom in the fall. I have grown Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'. That is already blooming and the blooms will stay on right through winter unless I clip them for seed-saving. They add interest poking through the snow in winter and the birds feast on the seeds. The other one I have had winter sowing succes with is 'Jade', a white flower which blooms later and stays in bloom right into the fall. Hope this helps.
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My crazy daisies, had a tiny ziplock bag of seeds, don't remember where I bought them, yielded all different kinds but they are all crazy, some prettier than others. I didn't mark them to save any seed, darn it. Since I WS'ed those and planted HOS, I don't know which ones clump or not; they are a large clump that will get larger. They are all winners in their own way, don't get disfigured, a few toppled in the heavy rain, maybe those didn't, but I deadheaded them all, and they have put out some more nice blooms, not as many as the first ones. So that is a plus. In the front bed, I sowed from unknowns that didn't clump and the blooms got splotchy and ratty, but the plants were vigorous, didn't topple or get over 4'; the following year, they took over the bed, so I dug them all out. I direct sowed those, and they didn't bloom until the second year. Those did come true to seed, all of them. Then I replaced with three Becky, purchased plants. They clump which I thought was good at first but they get too big too fast and took over again. One Becky got crown root rot, dug it out, letting the soil lie fallow for the winter. But I'd rather have some that don't clump that I can interplant with poppies and maybe perennial lupines, couple others. I thought Alaska might be it. Does it clump? Are there any other July flowering ones that are nice but grow as singles? The only ones I know that grow single for sure are oxe eye or Marguerites, but those are invasive and only bloom in spring. I have some better spring bloomers now, but I want some for summer. Maybe I should divide my crazy ones in the spring into three smaller groups and start with those or pull off all the outer stems. I notice if I pull a stem (some toppled), I get some roots with it. The two remaining Becky are very healthy, but I want them out or much smaller. Can I do that? I don't know where to put the left over ones from dividing. Sigh.
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I got the last one at our nursery last summer. I'd never heard of it and my WS has left my reluctant to spend money on gallon plants, but this one was worth the $6 my local nursery charges. It's been a very nice short daisy with lovely color and will easily be divided this fall. My Marconi Shastas have just begun their first few blooms, regular Shastas look ready to start tomorrow, and White Knight Shastas are still a little bit away. My Banana Cream looks to be more on the White Knight schedule so is not quite ready to bloom this week. Really is a beautiful daisy.
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northerner_on
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for your comments ladies. Gardenweed, I was all set to purchase Snow Lady, even had it on my wish list when I read an article about White Knight which seems to be a 'newer arrival'. It got a higher rating than Snow Lady because of stronger stems, larger flowers, and the plants are more floriferous. I'll just have to wait and see if these claims are substantiated. The packet states the max. height as 12 inches, so I do believe Dave's data is incorrect. I have left my seeds outdoors, and I'll just hope for the best. Happy Gardening!!
gardenweed_z6a
13 years ago
northerner_on - I decided to Google White Knight and see what else I could find and you're right that Dave's data is incorrect. I found Estabrook's (southern Maine) website. They sell an extensive selection of Shasta daisy cultivars, including White Knight and Snow Lady. Their website shows WK growing 18-22." I sure wish they shipped outside of Maine--they've got 'Esther Reed' which I tried to get seeds of via a trade but was disappointed the person I was trading with posted them for trade but didn't follow through and send them to me.

I bought 'Banana Cream' last year on a half-price perennial sale and will have those seeds available for trade this fall. Perhaps the two of us can arrange a trade.

Good luck and be sure to post your results growing the White Knight from seed.
northerner_on
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi there Gardenweed: I saw 'Banana Cream' pictured in a catalogue I was browsing last night and thought it looked interesting. I am a daisy lover, and each year I grow Dimorphotheca (sp) to achieve that pale yellow colour and I thought Banana Cream would make a great perennial replacement. So if we are both successful, I would love to trade. I will keep it in mind. Thanks for the offer.
kimka
13 years ago
I heard that Banan Cream is sterile and does not produce viable seed.

Has anyone gotten seed and germinated another yellow daisy?
northerner_on
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Kimka: There seems to be conflicting information about the offspring of this plant. One source says it re-seeds, but another says the plants will not come true. The catalogue entry for it ws for a 2-1/2 inch plug at $16.95 each. It will be interesting to see what my plants produce.
mnwsgal
13 years ago
I have ws many varieties of shasta daisy. They all germinated well so I suggest you ws White Knight.

Snow Lady is a favorite. It stays short, about 12 inches and is covered in bloom all summer. Everyone visiting my gardens comments on it. This is its third year and it needs to be divided. The clumps have gotten large but not more so than many other daisies I grow.

Broadway Lights is another good grower with the yellow bloom turning white as they age. It came true from collected seeds.
kimka
13 years ago
mnwsgal, do you have any seed from Broadway Lights that you would be willing to trade. Email me privately and we can see if I have anything you would like.

KimKa
jkkaplan "at" erols.com
mnwsgal
13 years ago
Sorry, KimKa, I do not have any seed left from Broadway Lights. If you remind me this fall I will collect some for you.
kimka
13 years ago
Thanks mnwsgal, I'll make a note to send you an email in the fall.

Winter Sowing Shasta Daisy White Knight

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Winter Sowing Shasta Daisy White Knight

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