Gerbera Daisy Growing
Gerbera daisy, also known as Gerber, comes in various vibrant and bold colors that can almost be called neon-bright. You can also find softer shades of salmon, yellow, and pink.
Likewise identified as Barberton daisy, Transvaal daisy or African daisy, the representative of the composite (daisy) group is a favorite of florists because it is simply pushed in a greenhouse for year-round operation in flower compositions and as houseplants.
While it is a perennial in the sunny zones of its native South Africa and Asia, the gerbera daisy, which can have sole or dual blossoms, is yearlong in most of the United States.
Thriving in about every color except blue, it performs properly in beds, borders, and pots, as well as for cut flowers, adding color all summer. In the fall, garden plants can be picked up out of the ground and taken indoors for winter amusement.
One of the most prominent species of gerbera daisies is G. Jamesonii, which forms one daisylike flower, up to 5 inches across, on each exposed stem. The black-green foliage, with a woolly underside, leans to hug the ground, and the flowers tower above.
Most flowers are of a particular color, although some are bi-colored, such as red and yellow mixes.
Gerbera Daisy Tips On Growing And Care
- Scientific name: Gerbera jamesonii.
- Growth pattern: An evergreen perennial with leaves coming up from a short stem near the ground to form spherical plants rising to 12 inches tall and twice as broad. The leaves are shiny green, oblong, and lobed or toothed expanding to 12 inches long and 4 inches wide.
- Light: Plant in maximum-sun to moderately obscured positions.
- Water demands: Provide humid soil; water when the surface starts to dry.
- Feedings: Implement a general garden fertilizer bimonthly to in-ground plantings; feed box plantings with a 20-20-20 or related fertilizer solution every other week. Slow-discharge fertilizers can be replaced following label directions.
- Propagation: Establish plants from seeds or by division of original clumps.
- Ease of culture: Medium; fresh varieties appear vulnerable to root- and crown-decay troubles.
- Hardiness: Medium; chilling weather weakens the foliage, but plants mostly turn back from buds near the ground.
- Major complications: Grow in good-drained soils with the crown of the plants above the soil area to avoid decay troubles. Powdery mildew and leaf spots are dominant disorders that can be alleviated with fungicides found at local garden centers. Slugs and snails also might feed on the foliage and need supervision.
- Pruning: Get rid of declining flower heads by twirling and snapping off the stems as required. Likewise, dispose of the aged yellowing leaves to inhibit fungal leaf spots.
- Uses: Gerbera daisies give an eye-catching flower glow for the garden, veranda, or patio. Traditional varieties are appropriate choices for in-ground planting and all thrive well in pots. The huge blossoms open year-round atop tall stems in an extensive range of colors that consist of red, pink, orange, and yellow, representing them ideal for the butterfly garden and for bouquets. Plantings grow and look their best during the chillier months; summer heat and rains promote rot and leaf-spot issues.
Native to South Africa.
