Add bright splashes of colour to window boxes, patio planters and garden beds using gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii). A part of the Asteraceae plant family and related to sunflowers, gerbera daisies are indigenous to Southern Africa. The 4-inch-round flowers bloom in shades of red, purple, purple, orange and white and resemble a large daisy. This tender perennial grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10.
Cold Tolerance
Gerbera daisies are a frost-sensitive perennial. In regions with mild, frost-free winters, the plants grow and bloom year-round. The gerbera daisy can tolerate a brief dip in temperature down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees below freezing, but any frost will damage the leaves and flowers and prolonged icy weather will kill the plant. In regions with cold winters, you can develop this cheerful plant as an annual or keep it in pots in a greenhouse for the winter.
Winter Care at Frost-Free Areas
In mild climates, winter care for gerbera daisies means only a few simple maintenance. In the autumn and early winter, add a layer of mulch over the garden bed to help regulate soil temperature, suppress weeds throughout the rainy season and also add nutrients to the ground. Mulching substances like well-rotted compost and experienced manure are particularly rich in nutrients, but leaf mold, pine needles, seed-free straw and paper work well. When the flowers fade, you can clip them away from the stalks, just under the flower head, to keep the plants looking neat. Gerbera daisies flower with less vigor in winter but will still create a few blossoms when grown within the hardiness zones.
Winter Care for Potted Gerberas
A greenhouse, porch or other indoor place makes a acceptable winter home for Gerbera daisies grown in pots. In spring through autumn, the plants thrive with monthly fertilizing, but in winter it’s best to reduce fertilizer applications to every other month. The plants benefit from drying out slightly between waterings too. Lowering the water and fertilizer allows potted Gerbera daisies to go slightly dormant and reduces the risk or crown and root rot. You can keep the pots in a protected place in which the temperature stays above freezing through the winter and then put them out again in the spring.
Growing Gerberas as Annuals
Gerberas make cheerful annuals in spaces out the hardiness range. By starting seeds six to eight weeks before the final frost date, you can find a head start on the growing season or purchase starts in the spring from the sector or nursery. Gerberas thrive in a spot that gets full sunlight to partial shade. Only plant in the spring and revel in the flowers during the growing season. The plants will perish in the winter using the first freeze.