Where can I find lawn daisy seeds?

Hi-- As a child in Germany, I loved all those tiny, simple white daisies that grew in lawns everywhere. I have not seen a single one here in the Northeast US, but would love to plant some in our lawn. When I look for seeds, they all seem to be a much showier, more colorful, and puffier kind of flower. Only Annie's Annuals had a picture that resembles what I remember, but they are not available. Any ideas? Also, as they are probably considered a weed in places that have an abundance of them, would I be importing a risky non-native plant if I did find seeds?

Thanks!
Susan

I have daisies growing in my lawn, they get cut down whenever I mow, but always seem to be back and blooming the next time I go out. I will try to get some pictures and post them. If they are what you are looking for, I will mow around them and leave some to go to seed.

Deb

I tried to grow some, remember making daisy chains as a child with them, but none survived our bitter winters. I think the seed was called English Daisy when I got them.

I think you're looking for Bellis perennis: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/181/

Google lists many sources for seeds: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=DB1&q=bellis+perennis+seed&btnG=Search&meta=

I had completely forgotten about those lawn daisies ! We had them in our lawn too, when we were kids. My sisters used to string them into necklaces and wear them to church.

Wish I could send you some, they may well be out of bounds where you are as they really are a nasty weed but lovely looking, the problem is that where they are growing in the lawn, the grass wont grow as the Daisies are the stronger plant and they spread like wild fire, before you know it you have a white lawn and no grass, they grow so flat on the soil that the mower cant kill them off, it only cuts the flowers off and the heart plants just send out more flowers for the kids to make their Daisey Chains to wear around their necks or wrists, if you do get hold of them, be sure that where you plant one of those Daisies, the following year you will have a square foot of them and no grass beside this. We British Gardeners spend a lifetime trying to rid our lawns of this weed for the rest of our lives IF we are unfortunate to have it growing, I used to go on my hands and knees with a screwdriver to remove the roots and plant till my husband said he quite liked to see the daisies growing in the lawn, next year he regretted this statement and after 20 odd years we are still trying to control it, we will never get rid of it and when we get a patch cleared, we have to reseed the area right away, maybe this is why you cant get hold of it, it is hardy enough to withstand freeze and drought so it cant be the growing conditions that prevent you getting hold of it, it is just the spread and damage it does that maybe some states won't allow it, but maybe there is no law against it, I dont know for sure, but as lovely as it looks beware. good luck. WeeNel.

I just discovered the wild-type single white Bellis perennis at Florabunda Seeds: http://www.florabundaseeds.com/Catalogue/heirloom_per_bi.htm

I used Florabunda seeds last year and was pleased with the quality and quantity. (Photo shows chamomile I grew from Florabunda seeds last year.)

The dasies in our garden don't take over the garden. They just get chopped from the lawn mower. They don't over take anything.


Are these the types of daisy you were on about?
I did find lots of name variations (daisy, bellis perennis, common daisy, eye of the day and bruiswort)

Are you thinking of chamomile? I've read it's commonly used as a "lawn" in European countries. http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/herbs/chamomil.asp

Here's another picture & link. http://www.burpee.com/category/herbs/chamomile.do

Why is it desirable to have lawn daisies in your grass, but people fight dandelions? Just a thought...

Dandelions are beneficial to soil by bringing nutrients from deep below to the surface, but let's face it, they're ugly, especially the seed heads. Chamomile daisies are charming, and when the plant is mowed, it smells divine.

Oh, and...how could I forget.....you can make a delicious herbal tea from the dried chamomile flowers.

Dandelions will eventually take over unless they are removed. I actually have a dendelion in a plant pot by it's self....it's a long story but I bought a plant and in the corner were these two tiny leaves which looked like the bigger plant...I planted the two leaves in a pot as I was curious. As it's grown it looks more and more like a dandelion; I actually want to see if it is one first.

dipsy, you are the only person I know who is nurturing a dandelion in a pot! Well, you CAN put the young leaves in a salad. They're a little bitter, like escarole.

I didn't mean to winterrobin; as I said I bought a tiny plant and it had a tiny set of second leaves so I planted it to see what it was...It's not gotten a flower yet, but the leaves do look like a dandelion; it's not doing too well outside actually. Haha.

2 things...

Regarding dandelions, most people think they should rid their lawn of dandelions, as I did. However, the flower and the leaves can be used in your green salad.

After learning that grizzly bears eat dandelions each spring to feed their voracious appetites after a winters' slumber, I tried one myself and it tastes good, if not neutral at least. I sometimes add the actual flower to a salad.

I assume that when English daisy "petals" drop to the ground (I assume those are seeds), one can plant them to grow a new crop of daisies?

The petals that fall off are ray flowers, not seeds. Wait until the seeds ripen, they will be in the center of what used to be the flower.

Dandelions have a very long tap root, If you pull or dig them out, you need to examine the tap root to make sure it'e in tack, IF any broken root remains in the soil, bet your bottom dollar you have a stronger more virile plant the following year.

If you allow the Dandelion to flower, then your neighbours will NOT thank you as one flower spreads up to 50 odd offspring.
As the flowers fade, they make the beautiful little seed parachute like seeds, these are wind born and land wherever the breeze takes them. Both the lawn Daisy and the Dandelions have a growing habit of laying as flat INTO the grass as possible, when you mow, these weeds are never removed, you might get several off the flower-heads but by nature, there are several little flowering buds way deeper down ready to grow upwards where the older flowers were and there is room for the new ones.and the mower cant get them to chop them off.
We also have Ground Clover here in UK, that's another pretty weed, again their habit is it creeps along the top soil under the grass leaf's, it has White / pinkish flowers that bee's and other insects love them.

Buttercup is the lovely yellow little flowers here, these creep along the soil also and cling close to the soil where they are safe from the mower,
I remember holding an open flower of the Buttercup under my chin, IF the glow of the flower shone yellow on your skin, it was believed you loved butter (to this day I do)

The Dandelion was NOT picked for a flower arrangement as it was believed IF you picked the flowers and took them in-doors, you would wet the bed that night, so your Mum would yell to get rid !!!!. However, I do remember a coffee made from the Dandelions roots, it was made with warmed / hot milk, seat and delicious especially in a cold night.

The Clover was used in salads and had a little nippy taste, both the leaf and the flowers are used in salads.

All the above is never allowed to grow in more formal grass areas or formal garden lawns here in UK, they quickly spread at a speedy rate and take over the grass, when removed, the bare soil is normally seeded right away as more weeds will quickly take over the bare soil.

Personally I don't mind my Daisy flowers however, they do attract bee's and wasps, these are dangerous in warmer weather especially IF there are young bare footed kids playing on the lawn which is normally why we have lawn areas in our gardens, UK gardens mostly have a lawn area well before they have flower borders etc. The lawn covers a large area and bare soil, any bare soil is just a storage area for any weeds seeds to settle into. Only certain weeds prefer the grass areas for growing.

Oh forgot to say, we also made Daisy chain necklaces and arm bracelets, also a crown around your head as you became a MAY Queen, OH happy days, traditions still carried on through the Grandkid's.

The picture Dipsydoodle has sent in looks like the true garden grass daisy, small white flowers with yellow centre and sometimes a little pink blush on the underside of the flowers.

Hope you can find a supplier soon, BUT they might not take well to too wet or cold soil areas.
Good luck and happy day's ahead.
Kind Regards.
WeeNel.