How to Grow the Painted Daisy

Painted daisies add a cheery element to garden beds with their large, showy flowers and tufts of airy, light-green foliage. Few flowers are as easy to grow as painted daisies, both because the seeds germinate effortlessly and because the plants are naturally resistant to insects when in bloom since they emit a chemical compound called pyrethrin, which repels most bugs. Although painted daisies are very rugged, the seedlings are still vulnerable to cold damage, so it is best to start the seeds indoors and plant them outdoors two weeks after the last spring frost.

3-inch square pots
Potting soil
Spray bottle
Plastic wrap

Instructions

- 1
  Fill 3-inch square pots with potting soil containing a small amount of perlite for added moisture retention. Fill the square pots only to within the top one-quarter inch.
- 2
  Place two painted daisy seeds on the surface of the potting soil. Sprinkle potting soil on top of the seeds until they are barely covered.
- 3
  Spritz water into each square pot until the potting soil feels moist at a depth of one-half inch. Keep the potting soil moist at a depth of one-half inch until it is time to transplant the painted daisies outdoors.
- 4
  Wrap each pot with plastic wrap. Remove the plastic wrap once a week to check the moisture level of the soil, then replace it afterward.
- 5
  Set the pots near an east- or west-facing window where temperatures stay around 55 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
- 6
  Watch for germination one to two weeks after sowing the painted daisy seeds. Remove one of the seedlings from each pot, if both seeds sprout.
- 7
  Remove the plastic wrap once the painted daisy seeds germinate. Keep them under the same light and moisture conditions until two weeks after the last frost.
- 8
  Transplant the painted daisy seedlings 2 feet apart in a sunny, well-draining bed. Keep them watered to a depth of 1 inch during the summer months.

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