Michaelmas Daisies

I purchased four Michaelmas Daisy plants last spring at our local market They were Pink, Blue, and Mauve,and White. I potted them up for a while whilst I decided where to put them.
Moved them into their chosen place they grew into big beautiful plants But...I cannot believe what I am seeing ,they have all flowered WHITE, now who out there knows why ? I love white plants but to put in coloured and them to change white...Oh this gardening lark is really getting to much for this old girl !! Answers please folks

 

No John, they were in bloom when I purchased them, And I chose them because the colours were so vibrant

 

Hiya rosietutu.

Are they actually now white flowered? Could it be that they are still coloured, but that the pigment isn't strong enough to show? I'm thinking that they might have become stressed at some point, maybe lack of water/feed?

 

They do sound lovely Rosie even though they've all turned out white! I have a soft spot for Michaelmas Daisies.

 

Dear Freddy, Every thing in my house is well fed..All the garden plants as well. just picked the umpteenth bowl of runners I think because I feed them weekly and water them daily I have only a tiny garden,I still keep looking at those daisies inspecting them closely they are most certainly white very eye catching but white it is the oddest thing I think I have ever known commonest colour is blue isnt it? When I was a kid our garden at home had loadsa blue ones along with bronze chrysanths and 5ft high golden rod, flowers go out of fashion don't they,funny old world.

 

The flowers weren't dyed were they?

Val

 

I think you may well have hit the nail on the head Val. It's very easy to dye daisies by just adding dye to the water.

 

There is a very tall branched variety which is usually white.

I really like them for the autumn colour but don't have any! They spread too much in the way of other things and get on my nerves. The last lot got all mildewy so I ripped them out. I had a really nice dayglo blue one but it's died under the morass of other summer stuff in the garden.

When I went to Wisley they had a dedicated Michaelmas daisy garden, I've seen people do that with their front garden. Brilliant idea if you have the space.

 

I'm tempted to suggest finding out what the seller used to water them with and use it to create different patterns/designs every year on a bed of plain white Michaelmas Daisies.

 

There were a load of coloured heathers in the Garden Centre recently - I've got a picture on my phone, but no idea how to transfer it here :(. But they were labelled as "coloured" and "Won't be this colour next year". They would be fun for tubs & pots over-winter though.

Perhaps similar dying technique was used on the Daisies? (i.e. for growing plants, rather than for cut flowers)

 

Heathers and your £2.49 bunch of garage flowers are very often dyed . I wondered for years where these astonishing vibrant colours came from . So you may have hit on the answer there Val

 

Well I am gobsmacked, and think you are probably right but bought at a farmers market ?
Ah well they are very attractive must plant some thing very bright in between them .Thank you for the input, this learning curve never stops.