Do you mean the "common" ox-eye daisy? I have more of those than the larger "shasta" types and they do really well. I gathered my original seed at a graveyard while I was attending a funeral, which probably seems morbid.

They do spread a bit, but the roots don't go very deep so the extra plants can be pulled out easily. I eventually get impatient with cutting them back to a new bud and whack the whole lot down, then they re-bloom later in the summer/early fall.

The bloom times is much longer than any of the larger-flowering daisies and the plants don't seem to suffer from drought or any ailments. It's one of my favorite flowers.

kent

Oh, please plant Shasta daisies! They are native to North America, and while they can form large clumps, they are easy to keep under control.

Some plants are charming in the garden, but disperse readily and are a danger to native ecosystems. Ox-eye is one of these-- it's very ubiquity demonstrates that, as it is not native to the Americas, and has displaced native plants in many open areas. There are efforts to eradicate it, especially in dairy pastures and grasslands where wildlife graze. (Dairy farmers don't like it because it crowds out other pasture plants and gives milk an off-flavor.)

There are others that I see mentioned here from time to time that are pretty in the garden but should also be avoided. Some are actually illegal to plant. Sadly, some are even sold by nurseries and seed companies. Something I am going to suggest to everybody is to find out what is on your state's noxious/invasive plant list (and neighboring states as well).

There are so many plants that we can choose from, from all over the world that are not invasive or noxious that we can easily have beautiful and responsible gardens. I encourage all of us as gardeners to keep aware of which plants are on those lists, even if they are only on the watch list, and avoid using them.

Have to run off to work now, but I'll try to find the link to where you can find state lists of noxious and exotic invasive plants and post it.

Dayle Ann

The plant I have is actually called Willowleaf Ox-eye (buphthalmum salicifolium) or 'sunwheel' and is yellow. Not sure of its relationship to white ox-eye daisy. Perhaps someone can enlighten me. It is not listed on Wisconsin's invasive plant list.

Ox-eye means ox-eye daisy to most people. I have the common cultivar 'May Queen' and it self-seeds very little, just enought to keep a few going.

As for Shasta daisies, they are not native at all but complex hybrids developed by Luther Burbank over many years. He was a great plant hybridizer but also believed in eugenics and other nasty theories.

Should have added that Dayle Ann is right tho. Ox-eye daisy is quite a weed. The farmers have hated it for centuries. They call it white-weed (but it's so pretty).

Very interesting. I have Heliopsis helianthoides aka Early Sunflower Ox-eye, False sunflower. I like it.....a lot.
Libby
(linky to google pics)

Here is a link that might be useful: oxeye

I have 'May Queen' and yes, it does self sow quite a bit, but I don't mind. If you're looking for a daisy that doesn't flop and blooms for a long period of time, consider 'Becky'. Now, this is a great daisy!

I haven't seen the willow-leaf one! I grow what used to be B. speciosa (now Telekia) and love it. The flowers remind me of Inula. I had a heck of a time with my plants, the place I bought the seeds from recommended shade (?!) and moving them was a bit of a chore.

Are the willow-leaf ones water guzzlers? The type I grow stagger through the summer and would love to get more water, but they still bloom well.

slubberdegulion - No I haven't been watering it much and it is doing fine - here is a link to a photo - http://courses.nres.uiuc.edu/hort344/Perennials/Summer/Bupthalmum%20salicifolium.htm

The garden Shasta daisy was developed by Burbank through selection from a plant native to California. It has a number of cultivars in addition to the original form, which is still grown as a garden plant. The fact that Luther Burbank was a crank with unsavory ideas is beside the point. So did Charles Lindbergh, who shared many of Luther Burbank's ideas and then went a step further into Naziism. That doesn't mean his transatlantic flight was any less an accomplishment. It just means that he was an accomplished jerk. Lot of that going around these days, too.

Since we are from all over, things can get confusing when we use common names because the same plant may be known by different names, and several plants may share the same common name in different places. I learned a lot from reading what various plants are known as "ox-eye" to people here.

I don't know the scientific name of all my plants, either, so this is a good reminder to me to provide enough description to help other people know which plant I'm talking about! The one I love here is called by Vermonters "Beauty bush". That's all I've ever heard it called, and it fits. It's a native, and I still have no idea what its scientific name is, though there is one growing in my yard, and it would be easy to find in one of my reference books. Somehow, for that one, though, "Beauty bush" is enough.

Dayle Ann