How to Grow Oxeye Daisies: A Practical Guide from Seed to Flowers

Oxeye daisies are one of those wildflowers that instantly give a garden a more natural feel. Their simple white flowers with yellow centres appear above fresh green foliage and are visited by a wide range of pollinating insects.

They're perennial plants too, so unlike an annual wildflower display, you don't have to start again every year. Once established, a clump can come back each spring and gradually spread. I have found they also grow from seed easily so will need a bit of thinning back.

Oxeye daisies are easy to grow from seed and aren't particularly demanding about soil. They're happiest somewhere sunny and work well in wildflower areas, informal borders and patches of longer grass.

They can spread quite happily when they like the conditions, which is worth remembering when deciding where to plant them. I like that in a wildflower area but they can pop up eveywhere.

Give them some sunshine, don't make the soil too rich and let them settle in.

When to Sow

Oxeye daisies can be sown in spring or autumn.

For spring sowing, March to May is a good time. You can start seeds in pots or trays under cover, or sow directly outside once conditions are suitable.

Autumn is also an excellent time to sow, generally from August to October. This follows the natural cycle of many wildflowers, with young plants establishing before winter and getting away again when conditions improve in spring.

If you're creating a wildflower area, I particularly like autumn sowing because the soil is usually still warm and there's often more natural moisture around.

Don't worry if autumn-sown plants don't do very much above ground before winter. They're perennial plants and there's plenty happening below the surface while they establish.

Plants grown from seed may not give you a huge display immediately. The first year is often about getting established, with flowering improving as the plants mature.

How to Sow

Oxeye daisy seed is small, so it doesn't need burying deeply.

For pots or trays, fill them with seed compost, gently firm the surface and sow the seeds thinly.

Cover with only a very light layer of compost or vermiculite, then water carefully.

Keep the compost moist while the seeds germinate but don't leave it soaking wet.

Once seedlings appear, give them plenty of light.

For direct sowing, prepare the ground by removing weeds and creating a reasonably fine surface. Scatter or sow the seed thinly, lightly rake it into the surface and gently firm the soil.

Don't bury wildflower seed under several centimetres of soil. You're trying to give it good contact with the ground, not hide it.

Keep newly sown areas watered during prolonged dry spells while the seedlings establish.

Growing Seedlings On

If you've started oxeye daisies in pots or trays, let the seedlings develop until they're large enough to handle.

Move crowded seedlings into individual pots or modules and keep them somewhere bright.

There's no need to feed them heavily. Oxeye daisies are perfectly capable of growing in fairly ordinary soil, and lots of fertiliser can encourage lush growth that you don't really need.

Keep young plants watered without leaving them permanently soggy.

Once they're sturdy enough and conditions outside are suitable, harden off plants raised under cover before planting them out.

Don't worry if the young plants look fairly modest during their first season. You're establishing a perennial rather than producing a quick bedding display.

Once the roots are settled, they'll become much more substantial.

Planting Out and Spacing

Choose a sunny position for the best flowering.

Oxeye daisies will tolerate some light shade, but they'll generally flower more freely with plenty of sunshine.

They're happy in a wide range of reasonably well-drained soils and don't need rich ground. That's one reason they work so well in wildflower planting.

Space individual plants roughly 30–40cm apart.

That can look like a lot of empty ground around a young plant, but established oxeye daisies form good-sized clumps and can spread naturally over time.

Water after planting and keep young plants watered while their roots establish.

They're particularly effective planted in groups where the white flowers can drift naturally through other wildflowers and grasses.

If you're growing them in a formal border, remember that they may self-seed. Remove unwanted seedlings when they're small if you'd rather keep them contained.

Growing On

Once established, oxeye daisies don't need much attention.

Keep weeds away from young plants until they're large enough to compete for themselves. After that, they'll generally manage perfectly well.

Plants can become quite tall when flowering, particularly in richer soil. In a natural planting I wouldn't worry too much if they lean into neighbouring plants — that's part of the look.

There's generally no need to feed them.

After flowering, you have a choice.

If you want to encourage more flowers and keep a border looking tidy, remove faded flower stems. If you're growing primarily for wildlife and want the plants to spread naturally, leave some seed heads to mature.

I tend to favour a mixture. Tidy some and leave some. 

Older clumps can also be divided if they become too large or you want plants for another part of the garden.

Watering and Feeding

Young oxeye daisies need regular water while they're establishing, particularly during dry weather.

Once established in the ground, they're fairly tolerant and shouldn't need constant watering. Give them a thorough drink during prolonged dry spells rather than little amounts every day.

Container-grown plants will naturally need more attention because compost dries more quickly.

Feeding usually isn't necessary.

In fact, if you're growing oxeye daisies as part of a wildflower area, rich soil can work against you. Vigorous grasses and other plants often become more competitive when fertility is high.

Don't add fertiliser simply because the plants are flowering. If they're healthy and producing flowers, they're doing exactly what you want.

This is another plant where doing slightly less can be the better gardening technique.

Flowering and Wildlife

Oxeye daisies usually flower from late spring through summer, with the main display often around June and July.

Their open flower heads make them accessible to a wide range of insects rather than being suited to only one particular pollinator.

Bees, hoverflies, beetles and other insects can all visit the flowers.

For a wildlife-friendly garden, I'd leave at least some flowers to complete their natural cycle rather than deadheading everything as soon as the petals fade.

Allowing some seed to mature also gives the plants an opportunity to spread into suitable gaps.

That doesn't mean you have to let them take over. If seedlings appear somewhere inconvenient, simply remove them while they're young.

A wildlife-friendly garden can still have a gardener in charge of it — at least most of the time.

Common Problems

Slugs and Snails

Young oxeye daisy seedlings can be damaged by slugs and snails, particularly during damp weather.

Keep an eye on newly planted seedlings until they're established. Larger plants are generally much better able to cope with a little damage.

Plants Not Flowering

Young plants may concentrate on establishing themselves before producing a substantial display.

Too much shade or very rich soil can also encourage leafy growth rather than lots of flowers. Give plants plenty of sunshine and don't overfeed them.

Plants Becoming Tall and Floppy

Oxeye daisies can become taller and softer in rich soil.

In a wildflower area, plants leaning amongst grasses and neighbouring flowers usually isn't much of a problem. In a border, you can give them some discreet support or reduce soil fertility by avoiding unnecessary feeding.

Plants Spreading Too Much

Oxeye daisies can spread by seed and established clumps gradually become larger.

If they're appearing where you don't want them, remove faded flowers before they set seed and pull out unwanted young plants.

This is worth thinking about before planting. Give them somewhere that a little natural spreading is welcome.

Yellowing or Unhealthy Foliage

A few old leaves yellowing isn't usually a concern.

If the whole plant looks unhappy, check whether the soil is staying waterlogged or whether the plant is badly overcrowded by more vigorous neighbours.

Powdery Mildew

A powdery coating can sometimes appear on foliage, particularly later in the season or when plants are stressed.

Good airflow and sensible watering help. A little mildew on an otherwise healthy plant towards the end of its flowering season isn't something I'd lose much sleep over.

Oxeye daisies are exactly the sort of plant I like for a wildlife area. They're recognisable, easy to grow and don't need endless attention. Give them a sunny patch, allow them a little freedom to spread and you'll get those simple white flowers coming back year after year — with plenty of insects making use of them too.