Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Spoonful of Sugar Shasta Daisy: Huge Blooms on a Low, Wide Dome
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Spoonful of Sugar Shasta daisy combines huge flowers with a very compact plant. Its creamy white daisies are about 4½ inches wide, with two rows of long petals around a golden center, and they bloom from the top of the plant almost all the way down to the soil. The dome stays about 16 to 18 inches tall but spreads to around two and a half feet.
A spoonful of sugar helps the lavender go down, or at least makes it look even better.
Spoonful of Sugar at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Leucanthemum × superbum 'Spoonful of Sugar' |
| Flowers | Creamy white with golden centers, about 4½ inches |
| Foliage | Dark green, lance-shaped and toothed |
| Size | 16 to 18 inches tall, 28 to 32 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts mid-June, peaks early July, repeats when deadheaded |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 5 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Wildlife | Good for pollinators; moderately deer resistant |
Big flowers, low profile
Most large-flowered Shasta daisies are tall and need staking. Spoonful of Sugar keeps its oversized flowers on short stems held tight against the foliage, so the plant reads as a low dome packed with blooms. That makes it a rare big-flowered daisy that works at the very front of a lavender border, where its creamy flowers brighten the purple behind them without hiding it.
Its width is worth planning for. At up to 32 inches across, one plant fills a good stretch of edging, so you need fewer of them. Leave a gap between the daisy and the lavender crowns for airflow. It is also reported to keep blooming through high summer heat, which helps during the July stretch when lavender is in full color. Plan your bed in the Companion Plant Planner.
Growing it well
- Soil: average and well drained. It likes slightly more moisture than lavender, so water the daisy, not the whole bed, in dry spells.
- Deadheading: it flowers freely, and removing spent blooms brings additional rounds.
- Airflow: wet foliage and soggy soil in humid weather encourage leaf spot and crown rot.
- Pests: watch for aphids and four-lined plant bug in early summer.
- Fall: cut flowering stems but leave the low basal leaves in place.
- Winter: good drainage is the key to survival. Divide every 2 to 3 years in spring.
Containers
Its compact dome is ideal for large containers, where the big flowers spill right over the rim. Pair it with a potted compact lavender for a sunny patio arrangement. Because the stems are short, it is only fair as a cut flower, so let it shine where it grows.
Format
Spoonful of Sugar is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray, a good fit for mass plantings, edgings and growers. See the product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Does it need staking?
No. Its short stems and compact dome keep the big flowers upright without support.
How many should I plant along a lavender bed?
It spreads to about 28 to 32 inches, so space plants roughly that far apart.
Will it bloom in hot weather?
It is reported to tolerate high summer temperatures without stopping bloom, though all Shasta daisies appreciate water in long dry spells.
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