Chrysanthemum leucanthemum otherwise known as Oxeye Daisy The Garden Buzz
I'm a sucker for those Sound of Music-style alpine meadows with drifts of daisies that shimmer and sway among the wild grasses. So when we were exploring the Gunflint Trail above Grand Marais and found ourselves surrounded with swaths of oxeye daisies, I swooned. In an uncharacteristically romantic move, my husband dug up a clump for me to take back home.
Oops. In fact, you might say, oopsy daisy.
I know better, it was probably a mild case of plant poaching. But they're so cute.
I planted the daisy in my butterfly garden, and it did indeed lend that meadow effect to the whole garden. Then I happened to look on the Minnesota DNR invasive plants list. There was my daisy.
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum spreads by rhizomes as well as thousands and thousands of seeds. Well, duh, how did I think it filled those endless acres, lining the roadsides for miles and miles?
Oxeye Daisy seedlings The Garden Buzz
I raced out to the garden and gingerly trimmed the already drying daisy heads, but the damage was done.
So what's the tip? Watch what you plant. One (wo)man's cute little plant may be another (wo)man's kudzu.
This spring there's a thick patch of daisy seedlings carpeting the ground. I took one of those serious-looking Asian hand-hoes and scraped away the tiny green devils.
Dispensing with the daisies The Garden Buzz
Wish me luck.
