About Gerbera Daisies

Gerbera daisies are a cheerful, colorful and versatile addition to any garden. Grown in pots or planted in the ground, they bloom in bright orange, pink, yellow, red, salmon and white hues. These types of daisies are one of the most popular flowers for arrangements and bouquets and are associated with happiness, with their bright colors and large, happy blossoms.

History
A Scotsman named Robert Jameson first discovered these popular flowers in 1880, while working in a gold mine in South Africa. He gathered some specimens and gave them to the Durban Botanical Gardens and to Harry Bolus, an English botanist and botanical artist working in South Africa. Bolus identified the new plants and sent them to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. He suggested the scientific name Gerbera jamesonii. Production in North America began around 1920, and Gerberas quickly became one of the most popular flowers available.

Geography
Gerbera daisies were originally discovered in the Transvaal region of South Africa and are sometimes referred to as the Transvaal daisy. The Transvaal lies between the Vaal River to the south and the Limpopo River to the east. It is a humid, sub-tropical area, which is lower in elevation and therefore warmer than the rest of South Africa. This geography and climate make it ideal for the many sub-tropical plants that are found there. Today, the Netherlands and Columbia are the primary producers of Gerberas for export all over the world.

Types
There are many varieties of Gerberas, called cultivars. All are annuals. Some are bred for hardiness and others for color, but most of the breeding differences are for size. Most of the Gerberas grown for export are for the cut-flower industry, which favors very long stems. Some Gerberas are developed for potting, and they tend to be about 6 inches in height. The standard breed usually has a single or double row of large petals, with a small center. Fancy varieties have double, triple or even quadruple layers of large petals, making very impressive blooms.

Care and Manitenance
Growing Gerberas from seed is possible but requires careful planning and the right conditions. The seeds are relatively expensive and they require heat and humidity to germinate. The humidity should be kept at almost 100 percent, while the temperature should never go below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds take 14 to 18 weeks to get to the flowering stage. Most Gerberas are grown in hothouses because of their delicate nature and their need for constant humidity.

Uses
Gerbera daisy plants make a wonderful border for a flower or vegetable garden. They have dark green, bushy foliage that is beautiful even when the plants are not in bloom. They can also be grown successfully in pots and are a very nice addition to a rooftop or terrace container garden. They do not need a large growing area, as the plants are usually about 6 to 8 inches high. Wherever you put them, they will add bright splashes of color to your garden.

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Information on Gerbera Daisy Flowers

Gerbera daisies add large bright flowers to outside beds and indoor pots. They are a favorite cut flower for weddings and formal bouquets. Also known as African daisies gerberas are easy to grow perennials in United States Department of Agriculture zones 9a and warmer and brilliant annuals in beds and patio pots in temperate zone summers. They will bloom six weeks or longer in indoor pots.

Gerberas are easy to dry and frequently featured in dried flower arrangements.

History
Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii) were first identified by Robert Jameson wild in Barberton, South Africa, in the 1880s. They spread first to Europe and then to North America in 1920s, where they were bred for garden plants in California and for long stemmed (up to 2 feet) cultivars in Florida for the cut flower trade. Dwarf varieties for pots were developed in Japan in the 1980s.

A member of the sunflower family also known as a Transvaal daisy, gerberas are grown around the world for containers, gardens and cut flower arrangements.

Description
Gerbera daisies produce large flowers with brightly colored petals surrounding large, showy centers on bare stems above deeply-lobed, lance-shaped leaves. The 3 1/2- to 5-inch blooms come in white, red, peach, orange, yellow, pink, fuchsia as well as bi-colored cultivars. Gerberas are naturally deer-resistant.

Care
Gerberas love water and need constant moisture, but must not become soggy. In very dry climates, indoor plants benefit from misting in addition to watering. Use African violet fertilizer once a month to encourage blooms. They don't share space well, so put them in their own pot or plot.

Gerberas grow in bright light that gets some direct sun daily in well-drained flower beds. Use a liquid all purpose fertilizer once a month during active growth for full foliage and bright blooms. Problems can usually be traced to poorly draining containers, heavy potting or garden soil or overwatering so the roots become waterlogged and rot.

Indoors
Check gerbera plants daily for moisture. They are sensitive to fluoride, so use distilled or rain water. Gerberas love a sunny window, and a cool room will prolong their blooms.

Prolong gerbera cut flower life by cutting ¼ inch off at a sharp angle and making a slit up one side to increase water intake every few days. Change water and clean out debris at the same time.

Outdoors

Grow long stemmed varieties at the back of a bed and dwarfs along the border. Deadhead flowers daily, cutting at the point where they emerge from the foliage to keep gerberas from spending energy on making seeds and focus it on flower production.

Gerberas are susceptible to mildew, so be careful not to splash the foliage when you water them and water in the morning so leaves can dry in the sun.

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