Gazania

Growing Guide

Gazania, also known as treasure flowers for their jewel bright blooms, are fantastic for bringing colour to patios and sunny borders. Grown as annuals their daisy-type flowers love sunshine and if they don't get enough of it, will close up. The blooms come in shades of white, rose, red, pink, bronze, gold and orange, some are stripey and are set off by the cool green foliage.

Sow indoors from January to April in pots or trays of moist seed compost and lightly cover with a fine sprinkling of vermiculite to a maximum depth of 3mm. Place in a propagator or seal inside a polythene bag until germination occurs. Put in a warm place and keep the surface of the compost moist but not waterlogged.



When large enough to handle, transplant seedlings into 7.5cm pots or trays. Gradually acclimatise young plants to outdoor conditions for 10-14 days before planting out after all risk of frost, 30cm apart or plant into baskets and containers of good multi-purpose compost.

TOP TIPS

Native to South Africa, gazanias love a hot, sunny position in the garden. Soil should be moderately fertile and well-drained. Gazanias will do well in coastal and gravel gardens and suit containers and hanging baskets.

Gazanias are so easy to grow that to all intents and purposes they grow by themselves, and so much so that they are – perhaps a little unfairly – classified as weeds in Southern California, Australia and a few other areas! This should not be taken to imply that they should be treated without care but it does mean that they should not be ‘over-cared’ for; specifically, they should not be planted in rich soils or manure, not be over-watered, and not be fed except, perhaps, very sparingly in mid-spring.

Gazanias can be perennial plants in the UK, but a lot depends on the specific region of the country and the spot in the garden that they are placed in. In Scotlands, the North and Midlands in an exposed location, Gazanias are grown as annuals. In the South, by the sea in a sheltered spot, they can often be grown as perennials.