daisy crown – For decoration and oriental cuisine

Crown Daisy used to be a popular summer garden flower. It is self-seeding, once established in the garden, and provides beautiful cut flowers for vases.

Grown for seed in Denmark

Crown Daisy disappeared for a few years only to reappear in another guise. The big Danish seed companies now grow seeds for the Japanese, who cannot produce seeds in their own climate.

Summer in Denmark sees colorful fields of blooming daisies, which are left to go to seed. The Japanese use the young leaves in their cooking to add flavor to seaweed and fish dishes. The flower heads are also eaten.

beautiful yellow flowers

Crown Daisy is an annual plant native to the Mediterranean region. It has attractive, smooth leaves with toothed lobes. The lower ones are pointed and the upper ones are located close to the stem. The 1 1/2-inch daisy flowers are on long stems. They have one to four rings of pale yellow outer petals with a pale yellowish-green disc in the center.

blooms in the summer

Crown Daisy blooms in July-September. Double-flowered varieties are most popular for both indoor cut flowers and outdoor flower beds. Tall-stemmed varieties are 3 to 4 feet tall, but there are also dwarf hybrids with double flowers in stronger colors. They will only reach a height of 1-2 feet.

Crown daisy cultivation

Crown Daisies are luscious, hardy summer chrysanthemums that like dry soil and a sunny to part-shade location.

Sow the seeds outdoors in April. The taller varieties should be planted 10 to 12 inches apart and the shorter varieties 4 to 6 inches apart. These plants are also suitable for pots and boxes on a patio.

Water in dry periods and feed sparingly during summer. The flowers appear from July to September. After this, the flowers will give seeds, which can be collected for the following year.

If the seeds are unwanted, the plant will shed them and produce large patches of Crown Daisy a year later. It spreads like a weed, but it’s not too hard to pull up.

in the kitchen…

The seeds can be sown in pots and placed on the kitchen window. Use the young, tender leaves of new plants. Cut the new leaves as was done with Watercress. They have a strong and pungent flavor. Of course, taste preference is something else. It has a pleasant fragrance and a leaf placed in a drink can be quite tasty. These plants are used in several other countries, such as France, Italy and Belgium, in the manufacture of liqueurs.

medical plant

If grown for culinary purposes, Crown Daisy should never be sprayed with insecticide. However, since it is the young leaves that are used for cooking, they are usually harvested before pests or diseases can do any damage.

The reddish leaves are the result of the cold.

Rust-colored spots under the leaves are a sign of chrysanthemum rust. This is difficult to treat. Remove plants before others become infected.

White, mealy deposits on leaves and shoots indicate powdery mildew. Remove affected parts and water more often. If the plant is not intended for food, use fungicide.

Gray mold forms gray deposits on leaves and stems. Again, treat with fungicide only if the plant will not be used for cooking.

Leaf miners are small white larvae that chew their way through leaves. Use an insecticide.

NOTE: Pesticides not used according to label directions can be harmful to humans, animals, and plants. Use only pesticides that are labeled with instructions for use in the home and garden. Always read and follow label instructions.

purchase advice

Seeds can be purchased from any large mail order seed company that grows the plant for export to Japan.

Life expectancy: An annual summer flower.

Station: It blooms from July to September.

Difficulty Quotient: Very easy.

Soon

size and growth rate

Crown Daisy is a summer annual that was once most popular as a garden plant. Tall varieties are 3 to 4 feet tall, while dwarf types are 1 to 2 feet tall.

flowering and fragrance

The typical species has yellow chrysanthemum flowers with greenish-yellow centers and 1 to 4 circles of outer petals. They are often double and grow singly or in clusters on a long stem. Dwarf hybrids are more colorful and can have single or double flowers. The whole plant has an aromatic, almost perfumed odor.

light and temperature

A sunny to partial shade position at typical summer temperatures.

irrigation and feeding

Garden plants should be watered in dry periods and fed sparingly. Water potted plants more regularly, though they may dry out a bit between waterings.

Soil and transplant

Ordinary garden soil is fine. Potting soil should be used in boxes and tubs. Provide good drainage with stones or potting chips at the base to keep the roots well drained.

Cleanliness

Only if the leaves are used for cooking.

extension

Sow seeds every April, either in the garden or in pots.

Environment

Crown Daisy is a beautiful garden plant and also attractive in large pots and tubs on a patio. Use the tall types for cut flowers and the shorter dwarf hybrids as landscape plants.