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.
Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8476148_information-gerbera-daisy-flowers.html
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