Are you considering planting some daisy fleabane near your home or in your garden? Daisy Fleabane goes by a few names and has some very unique health improving properties. In this article, you'll learn all about this beautiful plant and how to successfully grow and care for it. Daisy fleabane, also known as annual fleabane and eastern daisy fleabane, is much more than meets the eye. Incredibly hardy, native to almost all states in the United States, and herbaceous with powerful medicinal qualities.
The daisy fleabane is a flower any gardener in the United States should consider, for a variety of different reasons. It’s easy to plant, and easy to care for. In fact, it’s considered a weed by many people all over the world.
With delicate white petals and a golden center, it springs forth in early spring and can stick around until late fall. Its long flowering season and general hardiness make this plant an excellent pioneer species.
Where it’s Found
After wildfires or other major destructive events, the daisy fleabane is amongst the first to show up on the scene. You may see it growing in the charred fields of a once vibrant forest or the field of a recently chopped forest. In the city, it can be seen emerging from the cracks of abandoned parking lots, dotting the tracks of old railway lines, and growing triumphantly from the patch of barren earth where the sidewalk ends. Even amongst pioneer species, it’s strong. In its endemic North America (where it grows in 43 of the 48 contiguous United States), it often beats out invasive weeds in pioneering new growth. The plant’s strength against alien weeds makes it an excellent plant for low-impact wildflower gardens. This is a herbaceous plant with some medicinal properties. In addition to its use in homeopathic medicine, it also contains properties that can help reduce obesity.
History and Cultivation
This wildflower was once used to repel annoying bugs, though it has proven to be ineffective.The daisy fleabane has a rich and storied history, beginning before recorded history. The plant gets its name from its past utility. People in ages gone by used to dry the plant or burn it in small bags (called sachets) to ward off fleas, gnats, and all manner of annoying buzzing things.
Although today it’s generally thought that this is an ineffective insect repellant, the name stands. This plant is a member of the aster family, a huge family of flowering plants with more than 23,000 members. Common and beloved relatives include sunflowers, marigolds, dahlias, and many, many more. As is the case with the other flowers of the aster family, the flower we call a daisy fleabane flower is many flowers clumped together. The outer ring of the fleabane’s golden center consists of a ring of “ray” flowers, each of which has one petal. These ray flowers’ laterally extended petals give the plant its characteristic look.
Meanwhile, the disc flowers in the center have small tube petals that extend outward from the flower’s face. That fact that flower is many small flowers helps pollinators like bees to work very efficiently. It’s recognizable by most people, as these small but mighty flowers tend to spring up everywhere and in nearly all 48 of the contiguous United States. It has alternate, simple leaves with green stems. The stems are somewhat hairy, while the leaves are many. Compared to other aster plant species, it has dense foliage, with large leaves beginning at the base. These basal leaves are easily identified, as they are coarsely toothed or cleft and quite large. Leaves further up the stem, meanwhile, may not always be cleft. The flower head is white with a yellow center. The petals range from white to lavender, while the center florets are always a rich, vibrant yellow.
Propagation
Propagation is an excellent way to expand your garden. It’s a highly tolerant and hardy plant, which means even first-time gardeners typically experience success when attempting propagation. The two most common ways of propagating it are by division and by growing the plant from seeds. As we’ve mentioned above, daisy fleabane sends up many flowers at once when it is time for pollination season. This means that the plant clumps together in the growing season to help maximize pollination efficiency. Gardeners have long used division (dividing the clumps) to stimulate the plant’s growth and increase the size of their gardens. A less common but equally easy way for propagation is done with seeds.