Gazania flower: description
Gazania or gazania (Gazania rigens) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Compositae. Originally from South Africa, but currently, many wild species grow in Australia, New Zealand, the Mediterranean and California. There are about 40 species.
In early spring, long stems develop from the base of the plant, on top of which large single flowers bloom, similar to daisies. Flower basket with a diameter of 5-9 cm, the Center is covered with many tubular flowers of yellow tones. Petals can be of different bright colors. In addition, they may be banded with a darker color along the central region or have a dark area at the base of the corolla. Flowering period: July to October.
The plant looks like a small bush. The stem rarely grows more than 30cm. At the same time, up to 30 stems can be on the gazania.
Root narrow leaves form a rosette of dense leaves of rich green color, sometimes with a gray-green tint. Depending on the type, they can be: elongated or rounded, shiny and leathery, covered with villi on the inside, protecting from cold and dehydration. The gazania flower is a perennial, and in colder regions is considered an annual plant.
Originally from South Africa, the plant prefers hot and dry summers. At home, it grows like a perennial plant,
Additional Information! A typical feature for them: the petals close in cloudy weather. On sunny days, the herbaceous bush blooms profusely, but as soon as the weather worsens or evening comes, the flowers close. The plant blooms until late autumn.
Gazania: cultivation
The plant is relatively easy to grow if the basic conditions are met: sunlight, minimal watering and fertilizer. These plants are undemanding, so they are suitable for beginner gardeners.
Note! When weeding the soil near the gazania, care must be taken not to damage the root, which is quite close to the surface. Experts advise not to loosen the soil, but to mulch the area with peat or compost so that the earth does not lose moisture and is not covered with weeds.
In order for the gazania flower to grow well and please with its appearance, it is necessary to choose the right place for planting, namely: sunny and with well-drained soil. Partial shade can lead to poor flowering
The soil
The optimal growing medium is soil that is a mixture of earth, peat and sand, although they do well in normal garden soil. To ensure that the soil is always well-drained, a little river sand is added.
In areas with severe winters, cultivation is carried out only at the expense of seedlings, which must be sown according to certain rules. In the southern regions, gazania is sown directly on flower beds.Watering
The peculiarity of a perennial plant is that it tolerates drought well. This flower needs little watering. Water only after the soil dries out. Mulching the surface of the soil will help to significantly reduce the amount of watering, as well as remove weeds.
top dressing
For normal development, once a month and a half, the plant is fed with mineral fertilizer containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. You can use a regular fertilizer for flowering plants. which will help support the growth of seedlings in the early stages.
Bloom
Since June, large single flowers appear, opening every day. Each basket of inflorescences does not fade for 20 days. To prolong their flowering, wilted inflorescences are cut off so that new ones appear.
When to prune
This plant does not require pruning. It should only be cleaned of dried and wilted flowers and any damaged parts.
reproduction
Gazanias are propagated by seeds and stem division.
Reproduction by seeds
Gazania is well propagated by sowing. The best way is to use seeds from your own plants. They remain on the plant until dry. Store them in a warm and dry place.
When sowing seeds in the spring in the ground, climatic conditions are taken into account. Cold climate, late spring prevents early sowing.
Additional Information! Seeds can be sown before winter. It could be the end of October or the beginning of November. Mulching with fallen leaves of the beds protects the seeds from frost. In the spring, the seeds will germinate as soon as the ground warms up.
In February-March, seeds are sown in boxes or peat pots.
When tender sprouts appear, the container can be moved to a brighter place. After the plants get stronger, they are transplanted. They are planted in a flower bed in the second half of May, after the last frost. When transferring the flower to the hole, you must try not to damage the root. Plants bloom from the moment of emergence of seedlings in three months. Therefore, May crops will give results in August.
How to propagate by cuttings
Hybrid varieties of gazania do not produce mature seeds, so they are propagated by cuttings. To do this, at the end of summer, a part of the woody stem is cut off from a well-grown bush and placed in a mini-greenhouse. After 1.5-2 months, the cuttings will grow back, and it will be possible to transplant them into a pot for the winter, and plant them in a flower bed in the spring.
How to prepare a plant for winter
In the warm climate of the southern regions, gazania can overwinter in open ground, so the bush must be covered with dry leaves, straw and other covering material.
In colder areas, the plant is grown as an annual. With the advent of cold weather, the bushes are cut and the roots are dug up. You can plant a plant in a pot, keeping a clod of earth in which it grew all summer.
Placed in a room with a temperature not higher than 8 -10 ° C. Watering is necessary only when the soil is almost completely dry. With the advent of spring, the root is planted in a new flower bed.
Diseases and parasites
The plant is quite strong, the only danger may be white, gray rot or aphids. In this case, it will be necessary to intervene with special means, preferably natural. Treatment with Fitosporin or other fungicides will help. If brown spots appear on the leaves, and their number increases, it is possible that the flower is affected by gray rot. In this case, it will be very difficult to save the bush, so it is better to remove heavily infected plants from the site.
Of the insect pests, the most significant are mites, aphids, snails and slugs. To combat them, acaricidal and insecticidal preparations are used (Inta-Vir, Actellik, etc.). Snails and slugs are harvested by hand, traps are set
Types and varieties of gazania
Gatsania occupies a special place in landscape design. It gained popularity due to its bright colors and sharp contrasts.
Hybrid varieties of plants, among which the most common are rough gazania and perennial gazania, are grown as annuals. They can reach 30 cm in height, bloom profusely from mid-summer to the onset of cold weather.
- Gazania splendens: orange flowers with small black and white spots at the base of the petals, 20 to 25 cm tall
- Gazania rigens or creeping gazania: flowers are yellow or orange with dark spots at the base. The leaves are dark green.
- Pavonia: yellow-orange flowers, speckled with black and white.
- Gazania uniflora is widely distributed, but has smaller flowers than other varieties.
- Gazoo is a hybrid with characteristic colors: yellow, orange, red, cream central ring or without it.
- Gazoo – with large yellow, orange or red flowers that bloom in the shade.
- Talent yellow is a perennial with yellow flowers.
- Gazania longiscapa – a plant that reaches a height of 15-20 cm, is popular.
- Gazania rigens has tall stems up to 30 cm tall and small baskets 4.5 to 6 cm in diameter.
- Bronze gazania – with black, white or brown spots on reed petals.
- “Tiger mix” – bushes up to 20-25 cm in height, with huge inflorescences-baskets reaching 12 cm in diameter.
A bright, unusual, unpretentious plant will delight with its large flowers all summer until hard frosts.
