Painted Daisy 'Robinson's Red'

The glories of the Painted Daisy are many, from its generous season of bloom to its long-lasting flowers, which make spectacular cuts but also stand out like brilliant pinwheels in the sunny garden. An easy perennial to grow, 'Robinson's Red' is a particularly stunning cultivar, for its flowers vary their color from pure red to an intense shade of magenta, creating a colorful tapestry indoors or out.

The flowers are set above the fern-like foliage on very sturdy, straight stems that prolong the blooms' life in the vase and also serve as a solid foundation for the butterflies and bees that alight on these flowers. Boasting a vivid, frilly golden center framed with a ray of tightly-packed, slender petals, 'Robinson's Red' is a delight, each bloom measuring about 2½ inches wide and lasting for more than a week. Expect them to begin opening in late spring and to continue very freely into summer.

Best in full sun, this perennial is not fussy about soil type, thriving in poor or average conditions but preferring acidic or neutral soil to alkaline. Deer leave it alone, making it a good choice for an open meadow as well as the sunny border. This is a plant to be ranged in large groups, so that the bright green lacy foliage creates a pool of color and the daisies bob freely by the many dozen.

'Robinson's Red' reaches about 18 inches high out of bloom, with the flowers adding at least another foot to its size. It spreads up to 24 inches wide, making a nice neighbor in the cutting garden to late summer and fall bloomers from Shasta Daisies to Mums, which come into their glory after 'Robinson's Red' has passed for the season. A true garden workhorse, it is thoroughly dependable and always lovely. Zones 3-7.