Plant This Perennial Flower In March For A Color-Packed Spring Garden

Early spring is when gardeners are ready for some color in their gardens. After the long, dark nights and dull colors of winter, it can be exhilarating to see the hints of green and beginnings of new life appearing in your yard. You're probably more than ready to plant some fast-growing spring flowers for a colorful garden to boost your mood. There is one early perennial flower you probably haven't even considered adding to your garden that is perfectly suited for the job — the painted daisy (Tanacetum coccineum). With its bold colors and unusual patterns on its 3-inch blooms, this unassuming little flower packs a dramatic punch, and March is the perfect time to get this beauty into the ground.

There are many types of daisies that look perfect in a flower garden, but the painted daisy is often overlooked as an option. It's really a shame, because this variety is so interesting looking and has so many wonderful traits. Its blooms can often be multicolored, appearing as if they've been painted (how they get their name). This daisy comes in a variety of colors, from scarlet, magenta, white, orange, to even pink. They are perfect for a cut flower garden as well, thanks to their wiry, long stems. If those factors weren't enough to consider planting them this spring, they are low maintenance, their leaves contain a natural insect repellent, and they'll keep blooming for years.

Painted daisies are not suited to warmer regions; they don't do well in areas with intense heat or sun. You can add these beautiful flowers to your cut garden if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7. For planting, if you want the quickest payoff, buy starter plants from the nursery for spring blooms the same year. If you plant painted daisies from seed, you won't see any blooms until the second year. These flowers do well in almost any area of your landscape as long as they have full sun to partial shade and well-draining sandy or loamy soil that is kept moist.

If you want to increase the number of flowers you get from your painted daisy, you can pinch the tops of your young plants. Snip about an inch off the top of your plant stems when they reach at least 6 inches in height. This forces the plant to put energy into growing more stems, and later, more blooms. The painted daisy also benefits from deadheading spent flowers. You can propagate this plant by division if you want to spread it around your landscape, but it is self-seeding as well. Once this daisy variety is established, it really doesn't require a lot of care. It is also the perfect perennial flower choice if you are trying to invite more pollinators to your garden. There's no better way to attract bees to your garden than by planting the flowers they'll love.