Blackfoot daisy is a perennial ground cover that, for much of the year, is smothered in adorable daisy-like flowers. This small plant is much tougher than it looks. Here’s how to grow and care for this native wildflower.
Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) is a dainty-looking wildflower that’s native to Arizona, Mexico, and the southern Great Plains. This charming ground cover has narrow, evergreen, green-gray leaves and small white and yellow daisy-like flowers that smell like honey.
Blackfoot daisy may look delicate, but it’s deceptively tough. It can easily handle the desert’s hottest and coldest temperatures. Native plants happily survive on rainwater alone during the winter.
It reliably blooms from spring through fall. During mild winters, it may bloom all year.
It requires almost no maintenance. And while plants 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
- Blooms spring through fall
- White flowers look fresh and cool
- Thrives on neglect
- No thorns, low-litter, non-toxic
- Important food source for birds and pollinators
Things to Watch Out For
Like many members of the Asteraceae family, blackfoot daisy’s leaves, stems, flowers, and pollen contain compounds that can cause contact dermatitis.
Don’t overwater. Too much water is the worst thing for this plant. It will make it grow leggy, reduce flowering, and cause root rot, which ultimately kills 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 daisy should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 11. It tolerates both desert heat and cold, and is particularly cold-hardy, surviving temperatures down to a frigid -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
It’s a moderately fast grower, and reaches its mature size quickly — within a year or two. When fully grown, it forms an attractive low mound, typically 1 foot tall by 2 feet wide.
Soil
Blackfoot daisy prefers poor, rocky, alkaline soil. It will develop root rot when planted in poor draining soil.
Lifespan
Blackfoot daisies are relatively short-lived, generally lasting no more than 5 years. However, they sometimes reseed in the garden, providing a source of replacement plants. Here’s what the small seedlings look like, so you know what to let grow.
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 spiky desert plants, and look delightful 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 | Evergreen 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 blackfoot daisy 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 cut back on 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.
Should You Fertilize?
Blackfoot daisy does not need fertilizer and should not be mulched, other than with gravel. This plant evolved to thrive in low-nutrient soil. Too many nutrients can result in weak, floppy growth.
How to Prune
Prune away old, woody growth in early spring as soon as signs of new growth appear. Leave at least 1″ of green growth on most stems. Never cut off all the green — your plant may not bounce back. Spring pruning keeps their size and shape in check and promotes bushier growth and more flowers.
One year I didn’t cut mine back in the spring because we had a frost-free winter and it was too pretty to trim! But I regretted it later as it became an overgrown mess during the summer.
You can also prune in the fall, cutting it back by one third, if it gets leggy or you want to tidy it up.
Don’t Confuse Blackfoot Daisy With…
When shopping for blackfoot daisy, you may 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, but is harder to find at nurseries than blackfoot daisy.
Plant Lover Facts
Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) goes by other common names including rock daisy, plains blackfoot, and arnica.
It is distantly related to “true” daisies like the classic Shasta daisy (genus Leucanthemum). Both belong to the same plant family, Asteraceae.
Some plant common names make sense, and others… not so much.
According to the Wildflowers of Arizona Field Guide, here’s the origin of the 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. 🙄
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 over 16 years.
Photo Credit
Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia