gazania

Our protagonist is a sun-loving flower that you can have both to give color to your patio or terrace, and to create spectacular flowerbeds in your garden. Of course, we are talking about the gazania, a very grateful plant with a surprising peculiarity: its flowers open with the sun and close with the sunset.

And as if that were not enough, it is very ornamental and, most importantly: it is ideal for beginners or for those who are looking for a easy to maintain plant.

Characteristics of the gazania

Gazania is the common name given to a series of herbaceous and perennial plants that are grown as annuals in areas where winter is cold (with temperatures below three degrees below zero). With a maximum height of about 30 centimeters, they have flowers of great beauty with colors ranging from red to orange, passing through yellow, and they can even be bicolor.

Its flowering season is very long. In fact, it is possible to find for sale in spring. And they will continue to open flowers until late summer, and even in hot climates they can do so well into fall.

Gazania types

They belong to the genus Gazania, and are native to southern Africa. There are an estimated 19 accepted species, of which very few are traded:

Gazania krebsiana

La Gazania krebsiana it is a plant that grows up to 30 centimeters tall. It has somewhat creeping stems, and its flowers have somewhat thinner petals than those of other species. These are yellow, orange, or red.

Gazania linearis

La Gazania linearis It is a plant that grows as a perennial herb up to 30 inches tall. Its leaves are dull green, and produces yellow or orange flowers; sometimes also bicolor.

gazania nivea

La gazania nivea it is a plant about 25 centimeters tall. Its leaves are silver-green in color, and sprout from stems with a creeping habit. The flowers are usually yellow, although they can be orange or bicolor.

Gazania rulesns

It is the most common. The Gazania freezes, previously known as Gazania splendens, is a plant that grows up to 30 centimeters in height. It has dark green leaves, and flowers of very diverse and striking colors, like yellow, orange, red, or pink.

How to make gazanias grow?

These plants are very grateful, but when they lack something they need, such as direct sun or water, they will have a hard time. For this reason, we are going to see how they are cared for:

Location

The ideal location for these plants it will be the one in which it receives more hours of direct sunlight a day so that we can enjoy them in all their splendor. For example, at the entrance of the home, or planted in a pot on the balcony, they will grow without problems, and will have an optimal state of health.

Earth

They are not demanding in terms of soil. This characteristic makes them the perfect candidates to have on calcareous soils, as long as they have the necessary humidity.

But be careful, if they are going to be grown in a pot, it is important that the container has holes through which the water can escape, since they do not like puddles.

Irrigation

The frequency of irrigations will vary according to the climate and according to where we have them, but In principle, they should be watered about three times a week in summer and twice the rest of the year.

For this, it will be advisable to use rainwater whenever possible, but if not, one that has little lime will also be useful.

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They can be paid from spring to late summer with fertilizers that stimulate its flowering; not in vain, the flowers are its main attraction. Thus, any fertilizer that contains phosphorus, such as guano (for sale here), or others such as wood ash, or even the peels of six plantains or bananas after having boiled them in a liter of water.

Multiplication

The Gazans multiply by seeds in spring. To sow them, what you have to do is fill a pot with peat, place them on top, separated from each other, and cover them a little. Then, you have to water and put the pot outside, in full sun. In this way, they will germinate quickly, in a week or so.

Get seeds here.

Plagues and diseases

They are very resistant to pests, although snails and slugs They can cause them a lot of damage as they feed on their leaves. For this reason, repellents should be used, such as these; this way we will keep our plants protected.

As for diseases, the mildew It is a fungal-borne common in gazanias that are overwatered. Symptoms are the appearance of white or gray powdery spots on the leaves. Can be fought with copper (for sale here).

Rusticity

They are plants that withstand weak frosts (up to -2ºC), and the heat. In fact, they withstand temperatures of up to 40ºC well if they do not lack water.

What did you think of the gazania?