Gazania: The South African Daisy for Sunny Beds

Gazania is a vivid flower with large daisies in yellow, orange, red, pink or cream, often with dark spots at the base of the petals. It is called the African daisy or treasure flower: it comes from South Africa and loves sun, heat and light soil. In a sunny bed or on a balcony it flowers from summer until the frosts.

Sunny flowers in a bouquet: chrysanthemums and spray roses.

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What kind of plant it is

Gazania belongs to the daisy family. In its homeland it is a perennial, but in cold-winter climates it is grown as an annual because it cannot survive frost. Its flowers open in sunshine and close in the evening and on cloudy days, so plant it where you will see it during the day.

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Growing from seed

• Sow indoors in February or March: it takes about three months from sowing to flowering.
• Scatter the seed on moist compost, cover lightly and keep at 20–22 °C in the light.
• Gazania has a long taproot, so prick the seedlings out into individual pots early.
• Plant out after the last frost, in late May, 20–25 cm apart.

Care

• Site. The sunniest spot; in part shade there are fewer flowers and they open less often.
• Soil. Light, sandy and well drained; heavy wet soil rots the roots.
• Watering. Moderate: gazania is drought-tolerant and suffers more from too much water.
• Feeding. Once a month with a flowering-plant fertiliser; too much nitrogen gives leaves instead of flowers.
• Deadheading keeps it flowering longer.

Gazania on a balcony

Compact varieties do well in boxes and containers on a south-facing balcony. Use pots with drainage holes and do not leave water in the saucers. Gazania pairs well with other drought-tolerant plants; see “Balcony flowers”.

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Keeping gazania over winter

In autumn you can lift a favourite plant, pot it up, cut the shoots back by half and keep it somewhere bright and cool (about 10 °C) with little water. In spring take cuttings from it or plant it back out.

FAQ

Why are my gazania flowers not opening?

They need bright sun. In shade, on overcast days and in the evening they stay closed; this is normal.

What goes well with gazania?

Other sun-loving annuals and ornamental grasses. More easy-care ideas: “Low-maintenance garden”.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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