Ox-eye Daisy

Ox-eye daisy is a robust wildflower species, the flower head is a typical daisy shape, with white petals and yellow central florets. They grow in solitary heads and are around three to five centimetres wide.

Uses

Often used as a reliable component of most wild flower mixtures.

Persistence

This can be a short-term perennial species, it establishes quickly and is known as a pioneer plant, it may eventually disappear from competitive swards. Allowing it to reseed will increase the persitance of the plant.

Strengths

It is a reliable species when creating a wild flower meadow, it can be one of the first true perennials to flower, sometimes during the year of sowing.

Frost Tolerance

Ox-eye daisy is frost tolerant.

Sowing Rate Advice

1 gram per m2

Ideal Sowing Time

Sow in autumn or spring.

Management

Due to its aggressive, pioneer nature ox-eye daisy can seem overly dominant in the early stages of recreating a wild flower meadow.

Distinguishing characteristics

Seed
This is a small, long but thin seed, which is a pale yellow colour. It has a papery, ribbed texture and a shiny surface.

Seedling
The seedling has small rounded cotyledons, before going on to produce true leaves with recognisable, bluntly toothed edges.

Flowering Plant
This is a dark green coloured species. It is a bushy, generally upright plant, which may be hairy or hairless and reaches up to a height of 70cm. The lower leaves are stalked, with toothed margins and the upper leaves have a similar shape but shorter stalks. Similar looking to the common lawn daisy, however has a much larger flowerhead (up to 5cm diameter).

Additional Info

Flowers May-September. This species can grow from 20 - 80cm in height.

You can find Ox-eye Daisy in the following mixtures

• Cotswold Wild Flora
• Meadow Over-Seeding Just Wild Flowers
• Chalk & Limestone Soil Mixture
• Acid & Clay Soil Mixture
• Damp Meadow
• Floristically Enhanced Field Margin (IPM2/AB8)
• Nectar Stewardship Mix (IPM2/AB8)
• Orchard Clover Understory Mixture
• Operation Pollinator Mix (AHL1/AB1)
• Perennial Flowering Insect Mix
• The Operation Pollinator Just Legumes 70% ORGANIC

History

The oxeye daisy was dedicated by the Greeks to Artemis, goddess of the moon. The petal-plucking game 'He loves me; he loves me not' is thought to have started with the Ox-eye Daisy, and is now a well known children's activity.