How to Grow and Care for Gerbera Daisies
Gerbera daisies are native to South Africa and part of the Aster family. The varieties that you'll find at nurseries and in seed catalogs today are hybrids bred for their vividly colored flowers. Gerbera daisies are divided into four classes: single flower, semi-double flower, double flower, and spider flower.
In warm climates, Gerbera daisies are grown as tender perennials that come back every year. In areas with cold winters, they are treated as annuals and planted in garden beds or containers after all danger of frost has passed in the spring.
Gerbera daisies establish themselves at a moderate pace, delivering their first flowers within 14 to 18 weeks and continuing to bloom throughout the summer.
Gerbera Daisy Care
If you live in a climate where winters are cold and snowy, it is best to buy nursery-grown starter plants.
Although most varieties are also easily grown from seed, they are relatively slow to
develop, which narrows the window of their single-season growth period, unless you start the seeds indoors in late winter or early spring. Otherwise, starting Gerbera daisies from seed is feasible only in warmer climates where they won’t succumb to the first fall frosts.
Here are the main care requirements for growing a Gerbera daisy:
- Select a location that receives full sun to partial shade in the hot afternoon hours.
- Plant Gerbera daisies in soil that is rich in organic matter and slightly acidic. The crown of the plant should be about 1/2 inch above the soil line so make sure not to plant too deeply.
