Can I Grow Shasta Daisy in Virginia?

USDA Zones 5b-8b · Plant zone range 4-9

Yes — Strong Match

shasta daisy (zones 4-9) covers every zone Virginia contains (5b-8b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.

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Virginia spans zones 5b-8b, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score shasta daisy against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

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Zone Comparison

Shasta Daisy Needs

  • USDA Zones: 4-9
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Mature size: 3 ft tall
  • Picking window: ~45 days of harvest
  • Drought tolerance: Medium

Virginia Has

  • USDA Zones: 5b-8b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 22 - Apr 2
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 2 - Nov 17
  • Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
  • Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Silt loam, Sandy loam (Tidewater)

Plant Zone Range (zones 4-9)

4a
9b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.07.5

Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Shasta Daisy in Virginia

The frost window

Across Virginia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 214-day window you can count on — up to 240 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.

When to start the seed

Those dates are when shasta daisy goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Virginia's late-side last freeze of Apr 2 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Shasta Daisy likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Virginia's red clay (piedmont) and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.2 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Virginia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Virginia site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Virginia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Shasta Daisy in Virginia — Quick Answer

  • Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
  • Plant Zones: 4-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
  • State Zones: 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
  • Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 22 - Apr 2 to Nov 2 - Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)

What Else to Consider for Shasta Daisy in Virginia

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Virginia growers also need to think about:

Heavy Piedmont red clay requires amendment

Humidity and heat in summer promote disease

Deer pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Virginia grower, not just shasta daisy — is covered on the Virginia growing guide.

Where in Virginia Shasta Daisy Is Zone-Hardy

Shasta Daisy is rated for USDA zones 49. Every one of Virginia’s 133 counties sits inside that band — from Highland County at zone 6a to York County at zone 8b — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.

Across those 133 counties Virginia’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Highland County to zone 8b in York County 2.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.

The planting window moves with it. Highland County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 27, while Hampton County is clear by Feb 26 60 days apart. Set shasta daisy out on your county’s date, not the state’s.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Shasta Daisy’s zone 49 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Where in Virginia Fits Best

Even within Virginia's zones 5b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for shasta daisy (USDA PHZM 2023):

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Shasta Daisy draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, shasta daisy can only work that bloom inside Virginia's frost window — roughly 224 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 22 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 2 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Virginia Cooperative Extension

For Virginia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for shasta daisy, the canonical source is Virginia Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Common Questions About Growing Shasta Daisy in Virginia

When can I plant Shasta Daisy in Virginia?

Virginia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.

What hardiness zone is Shasta Daisy grown in across Virginia?

Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Shasta Daisy carries a range of zones 4-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Virginia site have?

A typical Virginia site sees ~224 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Shasta Daisy should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.

How should I amend the soil for Shasta Daisy in Virginia?

Shasta Daisy prefers pH 5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Virginia soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Shasta Daisy actually grow on my specific land in Virginia?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores shasta daisy against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Virginia

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores shasta daisy against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Virginia shasta daisy averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Virginia averages 224Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Virginia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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