Leucanthemum Amazing Daisies® 'Banana Cream II'

Leucanthemum Amazing Daisies® 'Banana Cream II': Soft Yellow Daisies to Cool Hot Colours

'Banana Cream II' is proof that sometimes the sequel is better than the original. Big daisies open lemon yellow and mellow to creamy white on a tidy upright plant. NO PLOT HOLES. NO BAD ACTING. JUST FLOWERS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Leucanthemum x superbum 'Banana Cream II'
• Common Name: Shasta Daisy
• Series: Amazing Daisies®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 50–60 cm (20–24 in)
• Spread: 50–55 cm (20–22 in)
• Flowers: Large daisies that open lemon yellow and fade to creamy white, with golden centres
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Dark green, with an upright habit
• Features: Long blooming, good cut flower, 2022 Top Performer in the Penn State University plant trials

Where to Plant: Use it at the front or middle of a sunny border, in large containers, or massed in groups for a soft yellow drift. The flowers are excellent for cutting, and the pale tone softens hotter colours around it.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Banana Cream II' in a sunny bed with a yellow Itoh peony, dark purple asters and red sneezeweed. Paeonia 'Bartzella' opens lemon-yellow Itoh peonies at 80 cm in May and June. Helenium 'Mariachi Bandera' adds red and gold daisies at 40 to 50 cm from July to September. Aster 'Grape Crush' brings very dark purple asters at 66 to 76 cm in August and September. Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Niagara Falls' arches behind at 120 cm with powder-blue blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Shasta daisies dislike soggy winter soil, so avoid low spots in heavy clay. Water regularly during the first season and in dry spells after that. Deadhead spent flowers to keep new buds coming. Cut the plant back after frost or in early spring. Divide every few years in spring to keep clumps vigorous, since Shasta daisies tend to bloom best when they're refreshed now and then.

History: 'Banana Cream II' is an improved follow-up to the original 'Banana Cream' and is marketed by Proven Winners® in the Amazing Daisies® series. The Shasta daisy itself is a garden hybrid made famous by Luther Burbank in California, who named it after the snowy peak of Mount Shasta.

Final Thoughts: Cut a vaseful for the kitchen table, then plant a whole sweep and wait for part three. WE'RE ALREADY IN LINE FOR TICKETS.