Garden Talk: April 26, 2007 From NGA Editors Shasta Daisies
Offer Something Old and Something New Shasta daisies are
perennial garden favorites because of their large, pure white
flowers and easy-care growth habit. Now a rediscovered old
variety and a recently bred new one add unique flower types and
colors to the traditional daisies. Fiona Coghill Shasta daisy
(Leucanthemum superbum Fiona Coghill) was first bred and
introduced in England in the 1960s. It was lost from cultivation
until recently when it was rediscovered in a home garden in
Ireland. Now its available for the world to grow again. Fiona
Coghill features large, shaggy, creamy-white, chrysanthemum-like
blossoms that open from yellow buds. The 30-inch-tall plants
have sturdy stems, so the flowers are ideal for cutting.
Goldrausch (Leucanthemum maximum Goldrausch) is a new, petite
Shasta daisy that can be grown in a container as well as in the
garden. The plants grow 12 to 14 inches tall and produce
sunflower-like blooms that are 3 to 4 inches in di