Common daisy

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Saturday, 9 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

Tackle daisies growing in your lawn, with the help of advice from our guide.

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Time to act

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The common or lawn daisy is able to grow in a wide range of soils, even in compacted soil that's inhospitable to other plants. Daisies may also out-compete cultivated plants and cause them to die. It can spread by forming mats of foliage, and is able to colonise new areas by producing seed.

Symptoms

Spreading perennial plant that produces mats of foliage. Easily recognised by pretty, small, white-petalled flowers with a round yellow centre.

Find it on

established flowerbeds, cultivated ground, cracks in paving, garden walls, lawns

Organic

Dig or grub out daisies from lawns using an old kitchen knife or a spike-like daisy grubber. Alternatively, slash though the mats of foliage with a knife at weekly intervals to weaken and loosen the plants. Collect mowings from the lawn, as this can help spread daisies. Pull or dig out daisies in borders by hand.

Chemical

Apply a systemic weedkiller to the foliage of daisies in paving or flowerbeds. On lawns, use a selective lawn weedkiller or a lawn feed and weed product.