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Marguerites are among the classic flowering plants. As a shrub or standard tree, they are eye-catchers on many balconies and terraces. Planted out, they adorn the beds in the garden. Since not all daisies are hardy, they have to move in October for the winter. If they are properly cared for over the winter, you can enjoy the star-shaped flowers for several years.
Overwinter daisies
With daisies, a distinction must be made between different types and cultivation options.
- daisy planted in the garden
- marguerite cultivated in a tub
- depending on the type of cultivation, winter protection must be provided.
Hardy daisies
The easiest to get through the winter are daisies, which are hardy. They only need protection from the cold and frost in particularly cold locations or regions.
We recommend:
- cover the marguerite
- Fir branches or dry leaves
- alternatively use a jute bag or a special garden fleece
With hardy varieties planted out, make sure that they do not get waterlogged. Wetness combined with cold is deadly for plants. Just as too much moisture is harmful, so too is drought in winter. If it doesn't rain in the cold season, you can give the plants water.
Tip: Hardy daisies withstand frost and cold more easily if they are planted in a sheltered location, such as a house wall.
Planted out, not hardy daisies
You should dig up these varieties before the first frost and bring them to a safe winter quarters. Put the plants in pots or tubs. They hibernate like their container colleagues in a frost-free location. They can be planted out again when the outdoor season begins.
winter quarters
Regardless of whether you grow it as a shrub or standard tree, the marguerite needs the right winter quarters so that it can survive the cold season unscathed.
The ideal place for wintering is:
- Frost free
- bright, but no blazing sun
Rooms without windows, such as garages or basements, are too dark for daisies. If they overwinter in rooms that are too dark, they develop light green and long, thin shoots. These shoots do not form flowers and must therefore be cut off. The window sill or the heated living room are usually not suitable winter quarters for the marguerite either.
Optimal places for wintering are:
- a greenhouse
- an unheated conservatory
- a stairwell with a window
- Window should be close to the plant
- an unheated room in the apartment (bedroom)
In addition to the location, the marguerite also makes demands on the temperature. The winter quarters should have a temperature between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius. However, avoid temperature fluctuations at the winter site. The plant does not like this during hibernation.
Personal experience of the author:
Due to lack of space, I overwintered my daisy tree in the living room. I put the tree in front of the balcony door. The plant felt very comfortable there. To my surprise, after a while it sprouted again and started to bloom. In spring I put the daisy tree outside again, where it continued to bloom.
Climate winter quarters
Not only the marguerite, but also other potted plants need good air circulation and a certain level of humidity during the winter. Both factors give the plant a feel-good climate and prevent pest infestation.
Therefore, in the winter quarters:
- be ventilated regularly
- adequate humidity must be ensured
- when airing, make sure that the tree is not in the draft
- it may only be ventilated on frost-free days
There are several ways to ensure sufficient humidity:
- regular spraying of the plant with lime-free water
- Setting up a humidifier
- Hanging humidification tanks on the radiators
time
Leave your daisy outdoors for as long as possible. In many regions of this country, it is warm during the day even in late autumn, with the first frosts arriving at night. A temperature constellation that many non-hardy plants cannot survive. The marguerite is a bit more robust: it can withstand the autumn temperatures during the day, but has to be brought into a warm room when there is a frost at night. This way you can extend the outdoor season of the plant.
Tip: Since the marguerite and bucket can get pretty heavy, it's enough if you simply bring it inside overnight. The plant does not need a special location for the “overnight stay”.
Despite this possibility of extension, you should bring your marguerite indoors permanently at the end of October at the latest. Even with mild temperatures, the risk of sudden after-frosts is too great.
Before wintering
Prepare marguerite for the winter
The marguerite is usually cultivated as a marguerite bush or marguerite tree. Whether shrub or standard, both must be cut before moving into the winter quarters. The cut for wintering is similar.
In both growth forms:
- cut off all dried and partially dried flowers
- all flowering stems that have developed flowers are cut off
- diseased and injured plant parts removed
The aim of the cut is that only healthy shoots remain and that water evaporation is kept as low as possible. In the case of the marguerite tree, therefore, cut off all flowering shoots up to the stem shoot. You can recognize the trunk by its thickness: it is slightly, but clearly, thicker than the flowering stem. Shorten non-flowering shoots by a maximum of half.
Shorten the daisy bush in autumn by a third to a maximum of half. After the cut, the daisy bush can remain outdoors if the weather is suitable. This cut of daisy bush or daisy tree is not only space-saving. It also encourages the plant to grow bushier and produce more buds. The plant always makes a nice, compact impression.
Personal experience of the author:
On my daisy tree, I only ever cut off aged and dead branches before the hibernation. Since it has proven to be a "continuous bloomer", I have not cut it short.
maintenance
Care during the winter
During the cold season, the daisy tree or the daisy bush should rest, i.e. stop growing. To do this, maintenance needs to be reduced. Once the plant has moved into winter quarters, stop watering until the tree or shrub has shed nearly all of its leaves.
Then care begins in the winter quarters:
- remove fallen leaves regularly
- Leaves on the substrate are rotting agents
- Water little with water that is as lime-free as possible
- every two weeks to once a month is sufficient (depending on the winter quarters)
- Soil must not dry out
- stop fertilizing
- regularly check for pest infestations
Personal experience of the author:
Since my daisy tree spent the winter in front of the balcony door in the living room, it didn't drop any leaves. That's why I slowly and gradually increased the intervals between watering. When it started blooming again after a few weeks, I gave it more water again. This did not harm the daisy tree.