These plants are invasive in favourable conditions, such as those outlined above.Īnother habitat it favours is coastal regions as it takes very well to salt-sea spray. In their native region, Gazania species grow freely in open woodlands, grasslands, scrublands, and semi-arid regions. 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 humusy soils or manure, not be over-watered, and not be fertilised except, perhaps, very sparingly in mid-spring. Gazanias are denizens of sunny, hot and dry conditions and they make do quite well in poor soils in their native habitat of Southern Africa. Most Gazania varieties bloom between mid-spring and mid-summer though under the right conditions several varieties bloom right to the end of summer and sporadically in autumn. In fact 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 regions. The cheery flowers and ‘cool’ foliage are components of what is a sporting, happy-go-lucky plant that is no trouble at all to grow and keeps free from pests and disease but attracts butterflies and birds like there’s no tomorrow. They typically start blooming near the end of spring. What sets them apart from other members of the Aster Family is that many varieties either feature splashy radial striping on the petals or a central dark zone which is usually quite large and prominent. These ‘petals’ are technically florets – ray florets – because the ‘flowers’ are actually composite flowerheads. The flowers are single or semi-double and, like Aster-Family flowers, many-petalled. The size of the flowers, depending on the variety, ranges from 6-12cm across, with most falling in the 8-10cm range. Perhaps it is because of the brilliant, jewel-like hues of the blooms that this plant is also called ‘Treasure Flower’. There are a hundred-plus cultivars whose flowers exhibit vibrant colour-tones and dazzling designs, so to speak.Ĭolours are predominantly in the warm range of the spectrum, ranging from yellow through red including pink. Gazania is a genus within the Aster Family of daisy-like flowering plants and has 19 accepted species.
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