Ideally, the best plants and flowers for attracting songbirds furnish edible seeds or fruit and possibly nestbuilding materials. Its best to opt for hardy perennials native to your region, which should thrive in most gardens. To get a better idea of what you should plant in your yard to attract wildlife, read National Geographic Birds, Bees & Butterflies.
The king of seed flowers. Plant this easy-to-grow annual in full sun near windows where you can watch songbirds fuel up for migration.
This hardy perennial boasts long-lasting blooms on tall stalks. The bristly seeds are a favorite of birds and butterflies.
The seeds, nectar, pollen, sap, and foliage of cornflowers (also known as bachelors buttons) nourish birds, bees, and butterflies.
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Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
These perennials are easy to grow and have long blooms. They complement other plants that produce seeds, like asters and coneflowers, nicely.
Loved by many, bright daisies produce wholesome seeds that are essential winter food for finches, sparrows, cardinals, and towhees.
These fall bloomers are ideal for those who want a garden full of plants that bear seeds in a staggered pattern. They come in purple, pink, blue, or white.
While many birds consume the dried seeds of these fragrant annuals, some, like crows and grackles, rip apart the orange blooms.
How to Sow and Plant
Shasta daisies can be grown from potted plants or from seeds sown early indoors and moved outdoors after a frost.
Sowing Seed Indoors:
- Sow seeds indoors 8 weeks before last spring frost.
- Evenly and thinly sow the seeds, then cover with 1/8 inch of seed starting mixture.
- Keep the soil moist at 70 degrees F.
- Seedlings emerge in 15-21 days.
- Provide ample light to seedlings as soon as they emerge on a sunny windowsill, or grow them 34 inches below fluorescent plant lights that are turned on for 16 hours a day and off for 8 hours at night. Raise the lights as the plants grow taller. For this process, incandescent bulbs won’t function because they’ll get too hot. The majority of plants need a period of darkness to grow, so avoid leaving lights on all day.
- Fertilizer is not very important for seedlings; when they are 34 weeks old, feed them with a starter solution (which is half the strength of a complete indoor houseplant food) as directed by the manufacturer.
- When seedlings have at least two pairs of true leaves, you might need to move them to 3 or 4 inch pots if you are growing in small cells. This will give them more room to grow strong roots.
- Seedling plants must be “hardened off” before being planted in the garden. Young plants should be moved to a protected area outside for a week in order to acclimate them to the outdoors. Make sure to shield them from the sun and wind at first. Cover or move containers inside if there is a chance of frost at night, then remove them in the morning. This process of hardening off lessens transplant shock and scalding while strengthening the cell structure of the plant.
Planting in the Garden:
- Select a location in full sun with well-drained soil.
- To prepare the bed, turn the soil down to a depth of six to twelve inches, clear away any debris, and rake the soil as gently and level as you can.
- In recently built neighborhoods, adding organic matter (leaf mold, compost, and well-rotted manure) is crucial for the health of all gardens.
- To lessen transplant shock, plant in the late afternoon or on a cloudy day.
- For every plant, dig a hole that is big enough to hold the root ball.
- To promote healthy root growth, remove the plant’s pot and use your hands to gently loosen the root ball.
- Align the top of the root ball with the surrounding soil’s level. Fill with soil to the top of the root ball. Press soil down firmly with your hand.
- To save water and cut down on weeds, give your soil a thorough watering and add a thin layer of mulch (1-2 inches) to the top.
- Keep weeds under control during the growing season. To keep weeds under control, either cultivate frequently or cover them with a mulch to stop their germination. Weeds compete with plants for water, nutrients, and space.
- Mulches also aid in maintaining consistent soil temperatures and soil moisture retention. An organic mulch of aged bark or shreds of leaves will improve the soil over time and give the perennial bed a more natural appearance. Mulches should never be placed on a plant’s stems to avoid potential rot.
- To ensure that perennials have a healthy start, careful watering is necessary. Water deeply once a week at minimum to encourage the growth of new roots. About an inch below the soil’s surface, the soil should be damp. By putting your finger in the ground, you can verify this. Water first thing in the morning so that all of the leaves have time to dry. For most perennials, one inch of rain or watering per week is advised. A rain gauge can be used to determine whether more water needs to be added.
- Plants may need some protection from strong winds and intense sunlight until they become established. Good air movement is also important.
- After new growth appears, a light fertilizer may be applied. To prevent burn damage, keep granular fertilizers away from the foliage and plant crown. Apply slow-release fertilizer at low rates; higher rates could promote root rots.
- “Deadhead,” or remove spent flower heads to promote ongoing blooming and inhibit the growth of seeds.
- Pinch back to refresh foliage after blooming.
- Remove and discard foliage after a hard frost in fall.
- Apply a second layer of mulch (1-2 inches) in colder areas once the ground freezes in the fall. Evergreen boughs (from Christmas trees) provide additional protection. Remove this mulch in the spring.
- Divide every other year.
- Drought-resistant Shasta daisies are excellent cut flowers for beds, borders, containers, and meadow gardens.
The fungus botrytis produces a gray mold on buds, leaves, stems, and flowers. It thrives in cool wet weather conditions. Burpee advises removing any damaged plant parts, avoiding watering at night, and making sure the plant gets wet when watering. Make sure plants have good air circulation. Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for fungicide recommendations.
Fasciation: An abnormal flattening of stems that can give the appearance of a fused stem Distortion often develops at the base of the plant. It typically results from a bacterial or viral infection that enters the plant through a wound. Burpee Recommends: Be very careful when handling plants. Any plants exhibiting disease symptoms should be removed and destroyed.
When the weather is humid, a fungal disease called powdery mildew appears on the tops of the leaves. The surface of the leaves appears to be whitish or grey, and they may curl. Burpee advises preventing powdery mildew by giving plants adequate air circulation through proper spacing and pruning. Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for fungicide recommendations.
Root Rots: Several pathogens can cause both mature roots and seedlings to develop root rots. Burpee Recommends: Pull up and discard infected plants. Make sure your soil has excellent drainage. Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for recommendations.
Septoria Leaf Spot: In densely planted gardens, this disease is most severe during rainy seasons. On the lower, older leaves, circular patches with dark margins and gray centers emerge. The spots’ centers darken as a result of the production of fungus spores. Burpee Recommends: Remove and destroy infected plant debris. Dont handle or brush against plants when they are wet. Remove weeds growing nearby.
FAQ
What do Shasta daisies attract?
Do birds eat coneflower seeds?
Do animals eat Shasta daisies?
Are Shasta daisies hard to grow from seed?