michaelmas daisy

Michaelmas daisies should be watered regularly to ensure their health. During the growing season, water your plants deeply about once a week to keep the soil moist. Reducing the frequency of watering in the late summer will help the plant delay blooming until the fall. In the winter, water your plant only occasionally, about once every 2 weeks. When you do water, be sure to moisten the soil fully. If the soil remains too dry or too wet, the plant may suffer.

Michaelmas daisy benefits from 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. It is important to give this plant some period of dappled shade to protect it from the midday heat. Early morning sunlight, followed by late afternoon sunlight, works best for this species. To get the best bloom from this plant, it's important to give it lots of sun, at least in its growing season, which is typically late spring to late summer.

The Michaelmas Daisy (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Peter Harrison') should be pruned twice annually: once in late winter, and once in early summer. To prune in late winter, wait until the first signs of new growth start to appear in early spring and then snip off any dead or damaged stems. This will also encourage growth of fresh shoots. To prune in early summer, cut back the stems which have started to flower by a third. This practice will help the plant produce bushier growth and more flowers later in the growing season as well as encourage larger blooms. In both cases, be sure to use clean, sharp pruning shears and gloves to avoid any disease. It's also important to sterilize the blade of the shears with rubbing alcohol before and after pruning, and between plants.