How to Grow and Care for Gazania

Gazanias, also known as treasure flowers and African daisies, are warm-weather perennials with large, composite flowers in vibrant shades of yellow and orange. They grow in warm climates (USDA zones 9-11) in full sun, preferring well-drained soils and tolerating poor soil.

With their vibrant color spectrum, these low-maintenance flowers are excellent for brightening up hard-to-landscape spaces. The plant is a prolific bloomer that attracts butterflies.

Gazania Care

Gazania flowers are ideal for any gardener who is looking for an eye-catching bloom that doesn't require much maintenance. Here are the main requirements for growing gazanias:

• Choose a full sun location, getting at least six hours of unfiltered sunlight per day.
• Prepare sandy, well-draining soil of, ideally, close-to-neutral pH.
• Only water when the soil is truly dry, as gazanias are quite drought-tolerant and adapted to dry soil.
• Don't bother to fertilize these flowers, as they are used to nutrient-deficient soils.

Light

Gazania flowers thrive in full sun. Morning or afternoon shade may cause the flowers to stay closed for a portion of the day and may cause the plants to grow lanky, exceeding their normal height of six to 12 inches.

Soil

Gazanias do best in sandy, well-draining soil but will tolerate many soil types and conditions. Its preferred pH is neutral (near 7.0 pH) but it will also tolerate acidic soil down to 5.8 and alkaline soil.

Water

The leathery foliage of gazania plants is a clue to the high drought tolerance of this flower. Let the soil dry out between waterings.

Temperature and Humidity

Gazanias like hot, dry conditions and work well with similarly adapted flowers, such as vinca, cosmos, verbena, or globe amaranth.

Fertilizer

In their native habitat of the rocky cliffs of South Africa, gazanias grow in soils of low fertility. Compost and supplemental fertilizer aren’t necessary.

Types of Gazania

The daisy-like flowers of gazania come in a variety of hot hues on the color wheel—red, orange, and yellow. Many flowers feature solids and horizontal or vertical variegation on petals, sometimes with splashes of white and bright pink.

• 'Chansonette' series: Flowers early, ideal for short growing seasons
• 'Creamsicle': Ivory petals with a bronze center disk, ideal for white flower gardens
• 'Daybreak' series: Yields large flowers quickly from seed in sunset colors or stripes
• 'Kiss Bronze': Two-tone petals of orange and gold
• 'Sunbather's Sunset': Paprika petals which stay open into the evening, rather than shutting tight as most varieties do at twilight
• 'Sundrop': Monochromatic gold petals and disks
• 'Talent' series: Silver foliage which contrasts vividly against bright flowers
• 'Tiger Stripes': Red or hot pink stripes on white or gold petals

Pruning

If you're growing gazanias as a perennial, prune them in late winter or early spring. During the plant's second season and if necessary, you can cut back the foliage to a couple of inches above the ground.

Propagating Gazanias

Although normally grown from commercial seeds or nursery seedlings, it is possible to propagate gazanias by taking basal cuttings in the fall and overwintering them indoors.

1. Using a sharp knife or pruners, take several cuttings of areas around the base of the plant where new growth is forming (each with three to five shoots).
2. Plant them in pots filled with good-quality potting soil.
3. Keep the basal cuttings growing indoors in a bright location.
4. Transplant the cuttings outdoors in spring.

How to Grow Gazanias From Seed

If you grow your gazanias from seed, start them indoors about 10 weeks before the average last frost date in your area.

1. Plant seeds in cell trays filled with seed-starting mix.
2. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of mix or vermiculite.
3. Keep them moist throughout the germination and transplant stage.
4. Harden them off and set them outdoors two weeks after the average last frost.

If you prefer no-fuss seed starting, try sowing gazania seeds directly in the garden.

1. After all danger of frost has passed, sprinkle the seeds in an area of raked soil.
2. Scatter handfuls of soil to cover the seeds, as darkness helps to trigger germination.
3. Keep the area moist (not wet) until germination takes place.

Potting and Repotting Gazanias

Gazanias shine in containers on your deck or patio, where they will attract butterflies for up-close observation. Growing gazanias in pots is also an excellent solution if your soil is heavy.

If desired, plant gazanias at the edge of the pot so their trailing habit softens the container's edges. Plant your gazanias in containers with a companion planting of lantana, which has similar growing conditions and complementary colors.

Overwintering

Gazanias are adaptable enough to overwinter indoors, so you won’t need to purchase new plants or seeds for the next growing season. You can dig up the plant in the fall before the first frost. Plant it in pots filled with potting mix and large enough to accommodate the roots. Make sure the pots have large drain holes. Cut the plants back by about two thirds.

Keep the pots in a cool, sunny window. Water when the soil surface is dry. Gazanias go dormant and won't need much water but check the plants regularly for pests like mealybugs that may proliferate on indoor specimens.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Gazanias are largely trouble-free, although overly moist soils can lead to rot. Powdery mildew can be a problem in humid environments, and mealybugs sometimes infest the plants.

How to Get Gazanias to Bloom

Gazania plant should bloom readily in their ideal conditions, the most important of which is sunlight. Plant or move gazanias into an area that gets at least six hours of sun, but preferably much more, in order to encourage healthy blooming.

In particularly hot areas, gazanias may pause blooming during the hottest part of summer but resume again in fall.

Bloom Months

Gazania flowers have a broad blooming window, offering their showy flowers from spring to fall.

How Long Do Gazanias Bloom?

Gazania blooms usually last for multiple months, provided they are getting enough sunlight. Fertilizer and proper watering also encourage them to bloom. When grown in USDA zones 9-11, the plants will flower year after year, as long as their health is maintained.

What Do Gazania Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Gazania plants produce bright, yellow-gold flowers that look like daisies. They can be several inches across, with the larger flowers being about four inches wide. The fresh fragrance of gazania flowers is very light; they are not known for their scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

To encourage more blooms, make sure that gazanias are planted in enough sunlight and fertilize regularly during the blooming season. Also, even though gazanias can handle dry soil, do not let the soil stay dry for too long.

Caring for Gazanias After They Bloom

Healthy gazanias bloom into the fall, so there is not much you need to do for the plants after the blooming season. In perennial areas, gazanias will be heading into their dormancy. In earlier months of the flowering season, deadhead spent flowers to keep the plants producing.

Deadheading Gazanias

To encourage even more flowers and steady blooming, deadhead spent gazania flowers as you see them.