Gorgeous Gerberas

My very first plant, I was about 8 or 9 ish, was a simple, single red gerbera with a mini red teddy in it, and from that moment on I was hooked. It was the most beautiful flower I'd ever seen and to this day ot still remains one of my favourite. So let's talk about gerberas!

Gerberas, aka Barberton daisies, are gorgeous perennial plants, growing about 30 to 45cm tall and wide. They come in a marvellous and stunning array of colours, and to be honest I dont think there's a single one I'd call boring or dull. Whether single or double, white, orange or red they are all incredible and just bring cheer to the soul.

Not only do they come in a variety of colours, but also singles, doubles, their petals can be spidery, theres some that look like pom poms, and plenty of variations in between.

Not necessarily the easiest plant to grow (nor the hardest!) Gerberas usually enjoy bright but indirect light, requiring at least 5 to 6 hours a day; mine are planted outside in a large bed, but are sheltered in the hottest parts of the day by a weeping mulberry and a frangipani tree. 

They tolerate a variety of soils from wonderful and rich to more gritty, but prefer a pH of around 5.5 to 6.5, which makes them great companions for your roses! The key is to make sure it is free-draining, they appreciate regular watering, especially through the main growing period. It can be a fine line through, they appreciate water but don't like to be wet or water-logged as this can lead to the fatal root rot!

With this being said, they do have the potential to be quite hardy. In summer, mine only get water on their allocated watering days, if that, and although they only produce a few leaves, they survive and come autumn/ winter, blossom and thrive!

Note: They will usually die down some point throughout the year, but don't stress, they'll be back!

Important note: When planting, ensure you leave the crown (centre/ heart) of the plant about 2cm above the soil surface, this helps minimise the potential of rotting.

It's a good idea to do a bit of maintenance, deadheading will help promote new blooms, although, if you fancy, they can easily provide viable seeds, so if that something your interested in, leave the odd dead flower and see what happens. Trimming off dead leaves will help keep the plant tidy but also make room for new foliage to come through and stay lush. After 2 to 3 years, you should also be blessed to divide your plants, meaning, yay more!

Fertilising now and then with just a general purpose fertiliser or even a liquid feed, is a good idea, it will help keep your plants strong, able to more easily fend of pests and disease,  and replenish the nutrients used in general growing. 

Great general fertilisers include:

. Seamungus

. Richgro Blood and bone

. Rooster Booster

. Osmocote

. Powerfeed 

Some people will tell you they are "gross feeders", to be honest I haven't found that to be the case. Every couple of months I just tossed some seamungus, blood and bone and manure around the whole garden, and thats it, they get no special treatment.

Tip: Be cautious! Lots of gerberas are sold in mass at bigger stores, and are therefore grown under artificial conditions in huge greenhouses. This means that they can often be temperamental when you get them home and, despite your best efforts, often end up deceased with their withered corpses in your compost pile.

Have a look where they are from if you're able to locate the information.  Look for signs of stress at the time of purchase. Alternatively, jump on your local garden group on Facebook (or preferred social media platform), and see if anyone has some they might share! 

In the Bunbury, Western Australia region - find BUG (Bunbury Urban Growers) on Facebook.

Whether you want double, single, spider, pom pom, big or small flowers, gerberas really can offer setting for everyone.

Happy gardening everyone.