How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Copper Canyon Daisies

Copper Canyon daisies are U.S. native plants that resemble marigolds. They’re truly stunning, and they’re perennial! Rather than having to start them every spring like traditional marigolds, you can plant these daisies once for endless blooms. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant to learn how to cultivate ‘Copper Canyon’ daisies in your yard.

The search for new garden plants is endless. Inevitably, your new specimens will grow old and lose their luster. You’ll want more new ones to liven up the space with bright blooms, textured leaves, and tall stems.

Choose local plants, like the Copper Canyon daisy, for a fresh perspective in the garden. This Arizona native species requires less care than non-native plants. It thrives in its native range without much irrigation.

Regardless of where you live, you’ll enjoy this daisy’s sunshine-yellow blooms and finely divided green leaves. Try it in a container, plant it in the border, or use it in a pollinator garden. It’ll attract beneficial pollinators and predatory insects into your yard.
What Is It?
The Copper Canyon daisy is a marigold! Marigolds are in the daisy family, Asteraceae, which is why this perennial shares two common names. It goes by a few names, like Mexican bush marigold, Lemmon’s marigold, and mountain marigold. All names refer to the same plant.

Native Area
The best way to identify a plant is with its scientific name. This daisy’s scientific name is Tagetes lemmonii. The species name lemmonii honors a couple who found the plant, Sara Plummer and John Gill Lemmon. They discovered it while exploring the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona.

The perennial shrub is native to southern portions of Arizona and northern regions of Mexico. It likes well-drained, gritty soil and warm temperatures that are common in its native range. It grows wild in mountainous regions near bodies of water, like streams, creeks, and rivers.

Characteristics
Like other marigolds, this species features bright yellow blooms that are compound flowers. This means that each flower contains multiple small blossoms inside its center. The blooms are smaller than other marigolds, and they look beautiful when they erupt en masse.

Below the small yellow blooms lie aromatic, divided leaves that are lacey in appearance. They’re incredibly decorative, looking like tickseeds, cosmos, or love-in-a-mist. As the perennials age, they grow wider and taller. They may fill in empty spaces around your other plants and spread throughout the garden.

Unlike most marigolds, the Copper Canyon daisy survives the winter in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11. It’s evergreen and extremely cold-tolerant, though it may suffer damage after a hard frost. New growth will resprout quickly from the roots, and the mature stems can reach up to six feet tall.

Planting
This Arizona native plant is common in nurseries around the U.S., mainly because it’s a hardy alternative to cold-tender marigolds. It’s less common in colder climates, though you can find seeds or potted Copper Canyon daisies online if they’re hard to find in your region.
Growing from Seed

As with other daisies, Copper Canyon grows readily from seeds. You may start them indoors for transplanting in spring, or direct sow them outdoors after the last frost date. Start seeds indoors if you have a short growing season, as you can cheat the weather and grow them while frosts are still common outside.
First, soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting them. Then, plant them a quarter inch deep in moist potting soil. Keep them moist, but not soggy, until they germinate. They grow best under grow lights or near a bright window. Let the seedlings flourish, and transplant them outdoors after the last frost date.

The process is similar for direct sowing. Soak the seeds, then prepare the soil for planting. Rake it so it’s even and sow seeds a quarter inch deep. Water them occasionally to keep them moist while they sprout. They should appear a week or two after planting.
Transplanting
The best seasons for transplanting are spring and fall. Safely move your Copper Canyon daisies outdoors in spring after the last average frost date. In fall, make sure you get the daisies in the ground at least two months before your first frost date. The earlier the better, as you want your specimens to be hardy enough to survive the winter.
Start the process by preparing a hole for planting. Dig a hole as deep and twice as wide as the plant’s rootball. Remove your daisy from its container, then set it down in the hole. You may loosen some of its roots to help it establish in your garden’s soil.

Pile the dug-out soil around the roots until you fill the hole. Then, water it well with a watering can or hose. Add more dirt on top if the surface sinks after watering. Keep the roots moist for a few weeks after planting so they adapt to your garden’s soil.

How to Grow
With proper care and good exposures, Copper Canyon daisies thrive throughout the year. They work well as summer annuals in regions where they’re not frost-tolerant. Plant them alongside your tomatoes and onions, and they’ll deter pests and attract pollinators!
Maintenance
Overgrown daisies benefit from trimming throughout the growing season to keep them neat and tidy. Use hedge trimmers or snips to trim the ends. After a harsh frost, the top growth will die back. You’ll want to trim the dead stems after new growth appears.

Avoid completely cutting back your specimens, as the act will reduce the number of flowers that appear. This daisy tends to flower a bit in spring, and again in full force during autumn. Wait to trim it until after the flowers fade to preserve the blooms.

Propagation
Propagate these marigold relatives with seeds, cuttings, or divisions. Which method is best for you depends on your goals and your garden’s setup. I like to take cuttings for quick propagation and store seeds as a backup. Division works best for overgrown, crowded daisies.