The Montauk Shasta Daisy, otherwise known as the Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ or Gayfeather ‘Alba’, Button Snakeroot ‘Alba’, Blazing Star ‘Alba’, Kansas Gayfeather ‘Alba’, Spike Gayfeather ‘Alba’, is a rather well known perennial plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Montauk Shasta Daisy Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Montauk Shasta Daisy you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Montauk Shasta Daisy thrives when you maintain moist soil by watering at least once a week.
- Light: Keep your Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Montauk Shasta Daisy in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Montauk Shasta Daisy is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Montauk Shasta Daisy belongs to the Asteraceae family, the genus Liatris and the species Spicata, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ (lew-KANTH-ih-mum soo-PER-bum).
As with other Liatris’s, the Montauk Shasta Daisy is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Montauk Shasta Daisy is a plant native to the Central to Eastern United States and Eastern Canada.
You might be wondering why your Montauk Shasta Daisy’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 9 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 3a, 3b, 4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A2, A3.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Montauk Shasta Daisy is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Montauk Shasta Daisy? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ can grow up to 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm).
These dimensions make the Montauk Shasta Daisy a relatively medium perennial compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful spreading shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 12″ – 15″ (30cm – 37cm) free so the Montauk Shasta Daisy can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Montauk Shasta Daisy is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ thrives when you maintain moist soil by watering at least once a week.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Montauk Shasta Daisy in soil with moist but well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, occasionally dry, and occasionally wet properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Montauk Shasta Daisy is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Montauk Shasta Daisy prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, occasionally dry, and occasionally wet properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Montauk Shasta Daisy requires soil with clay, high organic matter, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Montauk Shasta Daisy requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Montauk Shasta Daisy will die back to the ground every year.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (mid, late).
Flowers
You can expect your Montauk Shasta Daisy to flower around the summer months from July to September (summer).
In particular, this perennial is well known for its repeat flowering, flowers for cutting long bloom season, and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Montauk Shasta Daisy produces some beautiful white, or red/burgundy, pinkpurple/lavender, and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Montauk Shasta Daisy have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ to be around (> 6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Montauk Shasta Daisy is well known for being able to attract butterflies, birds and hummingbirds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ will be fine.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Montauk Shasta Daisy will look best in it.
Most Leucanthemum X Superbum ‘Montauk’ owners agree that this perennial will look great in most contemporary and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in prairie and meadow styles.
In particular, the Montauk Shasta Daisy’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, others use it for landscaping in a coastal exposure, mass planting, border, cutting garden, or a woodland garden.
A Montauk Shasta daisy is a great companion plant to grow with Aster, Eupatorium and Sedum. For an interesting effect, you can even pair it together with Weeping Siberian Peashrub.
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Montauk Shasta Daisy to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
