Rare Blackfoot Daisy Native Seeds (Melampodium leucanthum)

Hard to find seeds! If you want color without the fuss, Blackfoot Daisy is hard to beat. This low, bushy perennial forms a tidy mound of fine, narrow gray-green leaves that all but disappears under a blanket of small white daisies — each with 8–13 notch-tipped rays surrounding a bright yellow center. The flowers carry a light honey fragrance and appear in flushes from early spring right through the first hard frost, with no deadheading needed to keep the show going.

Plant details

• Mature size: 6–12" tall, spreading 12–24" wide
• Growth habit: Low, rounded mound; slow to moderate growth rate
• Sun: Full sun (some tolerance for light afternoon shade in the hottest climates)
• Water: Low — established plants want infrequent, light watering; too much water and rich soil actually shorten its lifespan and reduce bloom
• Soil: Well-drained rocky, sandy, or caliche soil; slightly alkaline; good drainage is essential
• Hardiness: USDA Zones 5–10
• Maintenance: Cut back by about half in late winter before new growth starts to keep plants compact

Why gardeners love it
Deer tend to leave it alone, but bees and butterflies (including painted ladies) seek it out. Its fine texture and low, spreading form make it a natural fit for rock gardens, dry borders, xeriscapes, containers, and mass plantings where other perennials would struggle. Native to the dry grasslands and rocky slopes of the southwestern U.S., it's essentially built for hot, sunny, low-water landscapes — plant it and mostly leave it alone.

Germination: Best when seeds sown directly in garden in Fall to naturally stratify in well-draining soil. Scarifying is said to aid in germination. Seeds need at least 4 weeks of cold-moist stratification.