All-star gerberas: how to grow summer's show-off daisies - Garden

Sunset, June, 2003 by Kathleen N. Brenzel

If ever there were a flower tailor-made for bold color, it's the gerbera. This happy-faced daisy, loved by flower arrangers, artists, and photographers, unfurls shapely petals, all neatly arranged around a tufted or velvety center. It comes in a rainbow of glowing colors: sunny yellow, sassy orange, vivid red, flaming coral, hot pink, and deep fuchsia. If subtle colors suit your taste, you'll also find the blooms in creamy white and a range of soft, sherbet shades like pale lemon and seashell pink.

As Cut flowers, gerberas are practically unsurpassed. Their sturdy stems, topped with 4-to 5-inch-wide blooms, rise from rosettes of dark green, wavy-edged leaves. Flowers are mostly fluffy doubles, with brown or yellow centers. "Buying a single plant is cheaper than buying a bouquet, because a plant can bloom for years," says Luen Miller, a grower with Monterey Bay Nursery in California. The trick is to give it optimum conditions (see "Care Tips," below right).

Modem hybrids of Gerbera jamesonii come from parents native to South Africa's Transvaal region; many strains are now sold. Those grown predominantly as cutting flowers are propagated by tissue culture to ensure consistency in flower color, stem length (up to 24 inches), and general appeal. For bedding plants, dwarf types (about 7 inches tall) are usually grown from seed, so they vary in petal count, color, and stem length.

In the West, gerberas are perennial in Sunset Western Garden Book climate zones 8, 9, 12-24, H1, and H2, where they bloom most heavily in late spring and summer. Although flowers can appear anytime--even can winter--plant growth slows when temperatures drop below 650. Irrigate plants as needed to supplement rainfall. In other zones, grow gerberas as annuals. In the hottest desert areas (zones 12 and 13), plant them in fall for winter and spring color. In intermountain areas, you may find potted plants at florists; grow them indoors in a cool, sunny room.

Shop for blooming plants at nurseries in 6-inch pots and 1-gallon cans. To enjoy peak bloom, duster pots on a patio or group several plants in a patio box like the one pictured on page 62. Then, after bloom is through, move them to a more permanent home in separate containers or raised beds.

For cutting flowers, plant at least a dozen tall-stemmed kinds in garden beds. Group dwarf plants at the front of a bed or border, or tuck them in window boxes. Pick off old or tangled leaves regularly; bait or handpick snails and slugs. If mildew appears, snip off affected leaves.

RELATED ARTICLE: Raise the bed for top results

One way to give gerberas the excellent drainage they need is to plant them in mounds of garden soil. Here's how: (1) Amend soil with compost or leaf mold and a bit of horticultural sand. (2) Mound soil into foot-tall beds, then lay drip tubing or soaker hoses down the center. (3) Cover bed with black plastic sheeting. (4) Cut Xs in the plastic far enough apart to allow good air circulation between plants (8 to 10 inches for dwarf types, 2 feet for larger ones), then plant gerberas through them. To avoid crown rot, set the plants so their crowns rise about an inch above surrounding soil. Cover the plastic with a thin layer of fir bark or similar mulch, taking care not to mound it around plant crowns.

Care tips

EXPOSURE. Near the coast, give plants full sun; inland, partial shade.

SOIL. It should be loose, rich, and fast-draining. In pots, use a packaged potting mix.

WATERING. Irrigate deeply, then let soil go nearly dry before watering again. Avoid wetting the leaves and watering at night, which can cause powdery mildew or crown rot.

FEEDING. Fertilize monthly during spring and summer with a dilute liquid plant food according to label instructions.

Cutting gerberas for the vase

Just two or three elegant blooms, displayed in a simple vase like the one pictured, can brighten a whole room.

To prepare cut flowers for bouquets: Using sharp shears, cut the stem under warm water to the desired length; make the cut at a sharp angle, as shown above. Remove the stem from the water and cut a 1/2-inch slit up one side of the stem, as shown here, before arranging it in a water-filled vase. Replace the vase water every day or two.

If flower heads start to droop after a few days, recut stems under warm water.