
Common daisy is often included in Mary gardens although it is most closely associated with Mary Magdalene rather than with the Virgin Mary. Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ most famous disciples and was the first person to see the resurrected Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke (7. 36-50), Mary Magdalene who had led a sinful life, came to the Jesus with a flask of fragrant oil as he was dining at a Pharisee’s house . She began to weep and her tears fell on his feet. She wiped his feet with her hair, then kissed and anointed them with the fragrant oil from her flask. The daisy is said to have sprung from the tears of Mary Magdalene and they symbolize innocence, gentleness, and purity. Photo Credit: Medieval manuscript, Wikipedia

Also known as lawn daisy and English daisy, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes chrysanthemum, dandelion, and lettuce. It is native to western, central and northern Europe where it grows in disturbed and cultivated areas like fields, meadows, and waste lots. Plants grow up to 8″ tall and form flat rosettes of small rounded or spoon-shaped leaves that are 3/4-2″ long. From early spring through summer, flowerheads appear singly on leafless stems. Each flowerhead is 3/4-1 1/4″ across and consists of white ray florets surrounding a center of yellow disc florets. The flowerheads exhibit heliotropism, and follow the position of the sun in the sky. Plants can become weedy and are very difficult to remove from a lawn because of their flat growth habit. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Common daisy likes organically rich, fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade is USDA Zones 4-8. It is not drought or heat tolerant and often burns out as temperatures rise. Plants are generally healthy with no significant pests or diseases and are propagated by seed.
The genus name, Bellis, is the Latin word meaning pretty. The specific epithet, perennis, comes from the Latin words, per meaning throughout and annus meaning year, and refers to the life cycle of the plant.