Associated with the Norse goddess Freya, daisy flowers represent love, fertility, and charm.
For this reason, they are commonly given to celebrate big wedding days and pregnant moms or those whose child has just been born.
Also, because of their open, colorful, and showy blooms, daisies are a timeless symbol of joy, hope, innocence, friendliness, positivity, and a clean slate.
In this guide, you can learn more about this amazing flower’s meaning and symbolism, its mythological associations, how to care for it, and more!
General Information about the Daisy
Genus: Bellis
Family: Asteraceae
Native home: Europe, Asia, and the United States
Areas they grow in: Meadows, fields, shaded spots, mountains, and bushes
Blooming period: Early spring until early autumn
Suitable as: Cut, container, border, and garden bed plants
Daisies are wonderful spring flowers of the small genus Bellis. They belong to the same family as sunflowers and asters (Asteraceae).
Native to Eurasia and the United States, these blooms can take on both wet and dry weather, unlike other flower kinds.
As such, they grow wild and are commonly found in many plant areas like meadows, fields, shaded spots, mountains, bushes, and man-traversed paths.
Their blooming period spans from early spring until early autumn. And they are indeed great as cut, container, border, and garden bed plants.
Physical Description of the Daisy
The daisy is characterized by its delicate ray flowers and bright yellow center disk filled with many florets.
All of the daisy varieties have a long sturdy stem bearing a single flower. But they differ widely in their flower color, leaf structure, and size.
The common oxeye daisy consists of 15 to 30 petals, and the whole flower measures 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
What are the different species of daisies?
Here are some popular kinds of daisies and their descriptions:
- Oxeye Daisy – This variety has a full halo of white ray flowers, oblong leaves, and long petioles or leafstalks.
Its mature size is between 1 and 3 feet tall and 1 and 2 feet spread. And it’s sometimes called the common daisy, poorland flower, mayweed, and moon daisy.
- English Daisy – Native to Europe, the lovely English daisy has cupped petals surrounding a yellow center disc.
This flower is now commonly grown as a wildflower in much of America. Its main colors are white, red, and pink.
- Shasta Daisy – It resembles the oxeye daisy except for the fact that it has a larger flowerhead typically measuring twice as much at 4 inches.
Every year, they come back in the early spring or summer seasons and flower till early autumn.
- Gerbera Daisy – Elaborate and incredibly beautiful, gerberas have saucer-shaped blooms made up of many small flowers.
There are actually three different flower types existing in this flower: disc florets in its dark center, trans florets in the ring surrounding it, and ray florets.
Also, it comes in a wide array of colors, including yellow, red, orange, pink, white, salmon, lavender, and even in dual colors!
- Painted Lady Daisy – You’ll find this one attractive thanks to its 3-inch blooms around a honey-yellow center.
On top of that, it comes in magnificent colors of red, white, violet, yellow, and pink, helping to attract pollinators in your garden.
- Marguerite Daisy – This type of daisy can be described as tiny suns.
Marguerite daisies are native to the Canary Islands in Spain, and they come in a range of shades from pink to pure white.
Daisy Word Origin
The word daisy can be traced straightforwardly to the 19th-century Old English word dæges ēage, meaning “day’s eye.”
The reason for this is daisy petals open in the daytime in order to catch the gentle sun and then close at night.
After having been used by many people, the word was eventually shortened and modernized into “daisy.”
What do daisy flowers symbolize?
These are the several beautiful things that the daisy flower represents:
1) Childbirth
This is one of the primary meanings of the daisy flower contrary to popular belief. It is the sacred flower of Freya, after all, who is the Norse goddess of beauty, love, and childbirth.
So, oftentimes, loving friends and family members give this flower to a couple expecting a baby or adopting one.
2) Purity
The common daisy, also known as the oxeye daisy, sports soft white petals which suggest the purity and innocence of a person.
Those can mean always staying faithful to one’s beloved or spouse through out the years.
It can conjure up thoughts of a group of happy children playing outside or a newborn cradled in her mother’s arms.
3) Love
Like roses, daisies can also stand for love and romance. Any color of daisy will do, but red ones, of course, convey this message better.
Giving daisies to your partner tells them how happy and lucky you are to have them in your life.
4) Beauty
Unquestionably, daisies are some of the most beautiful blooms ever cultivated. One variety of which is Gerbera daisies.
They are large, uplifting, and colorful, so it’s not hard to brighten someone’s day with them. Also, they are perfect and popular to be arranged in any bouquet or arrangement, whether standalone or mixed.
5) Bliss
Pretty and simple, the daisy is a super-likable flower. It cheers up people or makes them feel cared for and loved.
6) A New Beginning
At the arrival of spring, daisies are one of the first flowers to spring forth from the ground.
Hence, it signifies a fresh and new beginning. It’s good to gift to someone who is moving to another state to study or work or tying the knot.
To wish them good luck, you can send them a fresh bouquet or a hatbox of daisies. Doing this can make them more cheerful, hopeful, and courageous for the future.
What is the meaning of daisies based on color?
Here are the various colors and respective meanings of daisy flowers:
- White
White is a classic and elegant color. While flowers symbolize virginity, innocence, and purity.
These flowers are perfect to use for grand weddings, event venues, and the birth of a new baby.
- Yellow
Arguably the friendliest color of them all, yellow stands for playfulness, charm, joyfulness, and great memories.
Yellow daisies are striking in garden beds and potted containers, cheering up anyone who sees them.
- Red
Red is ignited with the passion of love and romance. It stands for the glamor and wonder of a crush or lover.
Surprising someone you love with red daisies is a perfect substitute for roses on Valentine’s Day or just any ordinary day.
- Orange
Orange blends the intensity and positivity of red and yellow hues. It therefore represents both of their qualities.
In addition, orange gives the idea of enthusiasm, warmth, and stamina. It is also a great color reminding one of sunsets and falling leaves in autumn.
You can definitely give orange daisies to a friend who has a cheerful and lively attitude and is nice to hang out with. Or you can just display cut orange daisies in a stylish glass vase on your table.
- Pink
One of the most popular daisy colors, pink emphasizes femininity, motherhood, and childbirth.
Pink daisies can also be a symbol of flirtatious love, affection, vivaciousness, and a calm mind and emotions.
You can easily mix them up with other colors to create a stunning flower ensemble or use them alone to express your love to a special person.
The Daisy’s Mythological and Religious Symbolisms
Below we take a look at some of the daisy flower’s mythological and religious significance:
- Roman Myth
There is a popular story about Vertumnus and Belides concerning how the daisy came to be a symbol of beauty, purity, and thoughtfulness.
One day, the Roman god of seasons, changes, and plant growth, Vertumnus, was fascinated by the natural beauty and charm of the nymph Belides. He sought to talk and woo her.
He kept pursuing her although Belides does not want or like him the same way that he does. Worried about displeasing him if she said no to him, Belides changed herself into a lovely daisy so that he wouldn’t find and bother her again.
- Celtic Myth
In Ireland, daisies were believed to have been scattered by the gods from the heavens in order to cheer up despondent parents who have lost their infant or child.
- Norse Myth
The daisy was a key symbol in Norse mythology, as it was the favorite flower of the renowned goddess of love, passion, and fertility, Freya.
So it was through her that the daisy has come to represent these things, including motherhood and childbirth because of the flower’s pure and innocent white color.
- Christian Religion
In Christianity, the daisy is wonderfully symbolic of Mother Mary’s chastity, purity, and humility.
As opposed to mums or more complex blooms, the daisy is merely a simple and delicate flower with white ray petals, but it can equal their beauty.
By the way, other flowers that also symbolize the perfect purity, innocence, and love of the Virgin Mary are roses and lilies.
The Daisy Flower in the Victorian Era
Over a century ago in Victorian England, flowers had become so popular that their precise meanings and suitable gifting occasions were interpreted in a system called Floriography.
In terms of this, the Victorian meanings of daisies are good intentions, honest love, and secrecy. As you can see, it’s a bit different from the general meanings we have discussed here.
And so, giving someone a daisy bouquet or arrangement can tell them that you truly and fondly love them and also swear never to divulge all of that person’s secrets.
The Spiritual Meaning of the Daisy
As a perennial plant and one of the earliest spring growers, it’s not hard to see why daisies also mean renewal, eternal life, and forgiveness.
As you may already know, a perennial plant lasts for several flower seasons or years from the time when it was planted.
Daisies bloom from early spring or summer to fall and slow down their growth in winter (if it is mild enough) before returning in spring.
So in a way, it is constantly shedding leaves and flowers and growing new ones, like being reborn.
Furthermore, the flowers starting anew in spring signal a new start and hope. That’s why daisies also mean forgiveness of past mistakes and sins and moving on.
How do I care for the daisy flower?
We summarized how to care for the daisy flower in different aspects below:
- Sunlight
Daisies are sun-loving plants. If you want to get the best blooms from them, place them in full sunshine’s way.
- Soil
They prefer quick-draining, organic soil. It’s ideal to mix organic soil with peat moss, sand, and aged manure to enhance the soil’s drainage, aeration, and nutrients.
You have to amend the soil or mix these ingredients in a potting tray or bucket before planting the daisies.
- Watering
Water the plant thoroughly until the top 1 to 2 inches of the daisy’s soil is moist. Do this every other week, but during the hotter summer and spring days, water these plants once a week.
Like all plants, they don’t like to sit in water because this can lead to harmful root damage, mold formation, and pest disturbance.
- Temperature and Moisture
Daisies should be located or grown somewhere cool and humid—in a place somewhat similar to their native home.
When you first sow the daisy seeds, keep the temperature between 69.8℉ to 75.2℉. And when the daisy is about to flower, the ambient temperature must be roughly 60℉.
Additionally, don’t forget to keep the humidity level between 60 and 65 percent for these flowers to thrive.
- Fertilizer
Apply a balanced all-purpose fertilizer to your daisies two weeks after you have planted them and every month after that.
If you want, just before the daisy blooms, you can feed it with plant food that’s higher in phosphorus to encourage better flower formation and growth.
- Pruning
Pinch off dead flowers and leaves with your fingers or a hand pruner in the growing season. This will allow the daisy to be neat and produce more flowers in place of the fallen or wilted ones.
Also, remember to wear gardening gloves because your finger or hand might get irritated in touching the daisy’s hard stems.
