Eight essential border daisies

Pink-orange flowers of Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride’

The daisy family (Asteraceae) is huge and contains over 22,750 species, including asters, dahlias, rudbeckias and echinaceas.

Thriving in a host of conditions, from boggy sites to arid mountainsides, there are daisies to suit every garden. Whichever one you choose, it should be easy to grow.

Discover eight daises to brighten up your borders, below.

Dahlia 'Magenta Star'

Single dahlias are much more useful to pollinators than the more flamboyant double cultivars. Dahlia 'Magenta Star' has deep magenta pink flowers and attractive, dark foliage. Discover 10 single dahlias to grow.

Symphyotrichum 'Little Carlow'

The profuse flowers of Symphyotrichum 'Little Carlow' are so numerous that they almost look like one giant flower head. Reliable and trouble-free, like all asters, it blooms from late summer.

Chrysanthemum 'Aunt Millicent'

Chrysanthemums are a popular branch of the daisy family. They're free flowering and easy to grow from cuttings – just follow the same procedure as for dahlias. 'Aunt Millicent' has silvery pink flowers and grows into a dome shape.

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'

Don't be fooled by the dainty flowers of the perennial sunflower, 'Lemon Queen' – it can grow to an impressive 2m in height. A 'must-have' plant for colour late in the season. Bees love the flowers too.

Rudbeckia 'Little Gold Star'

Bright and bouncy, rudbeckias seldom play second fiddle to other border plants. 'Little Gold Star' is a compact variety that flowers well into autumn. Discover more rudbeckia varieties.

Helenium 'Waldtraut'

Helenium 'Waldtraut' is an autumn stalwart, with velvety brown or golden door-knob centres above an undulating tutu skirt. Discover more heleniums to grow.

Echinacea 'Art's Pride'

Echinacea 'Art's Pride' is one of the rich array of new echinacea hybrids in sunny shades. Its large two-tone flowers open from early summer. It enjoys light, sandy soil. Read about echinaceas to grow.

Cosmos atrosanguineus

Famed for its vanilla and chocolate-scented blooms, chocolate cosmos has deep red-brown flowers. It's tender, so dig it up and store indoors over winter, just like dahlias, to which it's related. Discover more cosmos varieties.