Blackfoot daisy is a desert native ground cover. It has adorable white flowers and is much tougher than it looks. Here’s how to grow and care for this perennial.
Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) is a dainty-looking wildflower that’s native to Arizona, Mexico, and the southern Great Plains. This low-growing ground cover has narrow green-gray leaves and small white and yellow flowers.
Blackfoot daisies may look delicate, but they are deceptively tough. They can easily handle the desert’s hottest and coldest temperatures. They happily survive on rainwater alone during the winter.
They require almost no maintenance. And while they sometimes reseed, they are never so prolific as to become a nuisance.
Blackfoot daisies provide food for seed-eating birds and are an important source of nectar for native bees and insects.
Why I Like This Plant
- Charming flowers spring through fall
- White flowers look cool and fresh all summer
- Thrives on neglect
- No thorns, low-litter, non-toxic
- Important food source for birds and pollinators
Things to Watch Out For
Don’t overwater. Too much water is the worst thing for this plant. It will make it grow leggy and reduce flowering. The worst case scenario is that it will cause root rot and ultimately kill the plant.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a blackfoot daisy to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your plant healthy and looking good.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Blackfoot daisies should ideally be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 – 11. They tolerate both desert heat and cold, and are particularly cold hardy, surviving temperatures down to -20℉!
Sun Exposure
Blackfoot daisies can handle full sun, part sun, and reflected heat but appreciate some relief from afternoon sun in the hottest climates.
Size and Growth Rate
They are moderately fast growers, and since they are small, they reach their mature size quickly — within a year or two. When fully grown, they form an attractive low mound, typically 1 foot tall by 2 feet wide.
Soil
Blackfoot daisies prefer poor, rocky, alkaline soil. They’ll develop root rot when planted in soil that doesn’t drain well.
Lifespan
Blackfoot daisies are relatively short-lived, generally lasting 5 years or so. However, they sometimes reseed in the garden, providing a source of free backup plants.
Other Location Considerations
Blackfoot daisies have no thorns, stickers, or irritating hairs. Because they are “unarmed,” non-toxic, and litter-free, you can feel comfortable placing them near a pool, sidewalk, or anywhere they might come in contact with pets and people.
They provide a nice contrast to boulders and spikey desert plants and look great in rock gardens or as an edging plant.
Blackfoot Daisy:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Blackfoot daisy |
| Scientific Name | Melampodium leucanthum |
| Origin | Southern Great Plains, Arizona, Northern Mexico |
| Plant Type | Perennial |
| USDA Zones | Zones 4 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To -20℉ |
| Flower Color | White with yellow center |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 1′ high x 2’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part, reflected sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Pests & Diseases | Root rot |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, low litter, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts bees, birds, butterflies Deer, rabbit resistant |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any ground cover in the desert is to dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant perennials is in the fall. This gives it three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives your plant time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Blackfoot Daisy
This section is short since blackfoot daisies don’t require much care. In fact, care guidelines are more about what not to do.
How to Water
Immediately after planting, give your plant about 1/2 gallon every 2 or 3 days for the first two to four weeks then gradually reduce its water.
They should not be on irrigation. Rainwater usually provides your plants with all the water they need. If you experience a prolonged dry spell, you can hand water every few weeks.
Pruning & Fertilizing
They should not be mulched, other than with gravel, and do not need fertilizer.
Deadheading is not necessary, but you may want to prune it annually. I like to prune away old, woody growth in early spring as soon as I see signs of new growth appear. This keeps their size and shape in check and promotes bushier growth and more flowers. You can also prune in the fall.
Don’t Confuse Blackfoot Daisy With…
When shopping for blackfoot daisies, you might come across a similar-looking plant, desert zinnia (Zinnia acerosa). Both are compact natives with small white flowers with yellow centers. Desert zinnia is a desirable landscape plant in its own right.
Plant Lover Facts
Blackfoot daisy (Baileya multiradiata) is distantly related to “true” daisies like the classic Shasta daisy (genus Leucanthemum). Both belong to the same plant family, Asteraceae.
Blackfoot daisy goes by other common names including rock daisy, plains blackfoot, and arnica.
Some plant common names make sense, and others… not so much.
According to the Wildflowers of Arizona Field Guide, here’s the origin of term “blackfoot”:
“Black” in the common name is for the color the flower parts turn with age, and “foot” describes the developing seed, which looks like a black foot at the base of the yellow center.”
I find this explanation more confusing than clarifying. How about you?
Blackfoot daisy has a large native range that extends far beyond the deserts of Arizona. It also grows on the plains, prairies, and meadows of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas, and southward into Northern Mexico.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for 15 years.
Photo Credit
Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons