Sun Love

Class

Dicotyledons

Division

Angiospermae

Family

Asteraceae or Compositae

Order

Asterales

Genus

Gazania

Species

x hybrida

Description

An ornamental herb cultivated as an annual, but in Mediterranean areas, near the sea, it can grow as a perennial, beginning to flower again early in spring. With its creeping habit, it is ideal for adding colour and elegance to outdoor spaces such as terraces and balconies as well as flower beds and borders where it creates dense clusters of foliage studded with numerous flower heads bearing brightly coloured petals, present from spring until autumn. It prefers bright exposures and well-drained soil.

Variety description

Hybrid Gazania with silvery, tomentose leaves and a creeping habit. Ideal for quick cultivation in 12 or 14 cm pots. Or the long winter one, starting in autumn. In marine areas of the Mediterranean it easily becomes perennial.

Origin and distribution

Hybrid obtained by crossing species belonging to the same botanical genus and native to South Africa, namely Gazania krebsiana, Gazania linearis, Gazania pavonia, Gazania rigens and Gazania pinnata.

Flower size

The flower individually is large, becoming an attractive focal point.

Leaf

The leaves have a linear lamina.

Flowering period

It flowers for a long time, from early spring to late autumn, lasting between 200 and 240 days, which allows us to design our garden or terrace considering possible associations with other ornamental flowering species or different varieties of gazania to achieve continuous flowering over the months.

Inflorescence

Inflorescence head, typical of Species belonging to the botanical Family of Compositae.

Leaf colour

Solid-coloured, in perfect colour equibrium with the shade of the inflorescences.

Plant height

The height of the plant varies from 0.13 to 0.18 m, making it ideal both for creating uniform homogenous groups and in mixed compositions with other ornamentals of different development, creating landscaped perspective movements.

Lifespan

A herbaceous plant grown mainly as an annual.

Where to plant

Because of the brightness conferred by the luxuriant flowering, it is suitable for adding a unique ornamental accent to flowerbeds, terraces, borders and planters.

Stem

The stems are herbaceous; the variety has no thorns.

Flower

The flower is daisy-shaped, large, with a symmetrical corolla and bi-coloured petals. It is arranged in large flower head inflorescences. It flowers from early spring to late autumn, with a flowering period of between 200 and 240 days. It is attractive to bees and bumblebees.

Growth

Variety with medium to vigorous growth.

Plant habit

It develops a creeping habitus, which is also ideal for landscaping.

Branching

Branching is Medium.

PH

It requires a slightly acidic soil or substrate pH between 5.5 and 6.5.

Soil preparation

Before transplanting the plants into the bed, dig up the surface to remove any weeds, residues from previous crops and bulky stones, then bury slow-release organic or chemical fertiliser so that the plant has the nutrients it needs for its first development phase after planting. To favour the drainage of excess water, continue by creating a raised bed by slightly bouldering the soil and finally add professional quality substrate on the surface for about 5/10 cm, levelling out carefully.

Sun exposure

Suitable for exposure in half shade, full sun.

Ideal climate and temperature

The ideal temperature is between 14 and 18 °C. The vital temperature is between -5 and 40 °C. It adapts well to hot summer climates.

Use

Prolonged flowering with bright, vibrant hues and low maintenance requirements give the variety a prime role for use in:

Outdoor ornamental Landscaping

Hardiness

Highly hardy, drought-tolerant variety.

Soil

It prefers medium-textured, well tilled and draining soil as it fears excess water and waterlogging; it also tolerates sandy soil. For use in pots or planters, a substrate for spring plants based on peat and perlite is recommended.

Difficulty

An easy-to-cultivate variety, it requires a low level of management effort and assumes further value in use.

Growing tips

To achieve lush vegetative growth and abundant flowering, consider the following cultivation conditions:

With too little light, the flowers close Avoid over-watering The flowers need at least 6 hours of sun to open.

Combinations with other plants

Ideal for compact and colourful ornamental compositions, also associated with blooms with different heights in order to create perspective landscape views; colour combinations can include shades of the same hue or an alternation by choosing from the different varieties available, composing designs or patterns according to personal fantasy. Colour spots or simple borders can be formed with other species such as Ageratum houstonianum, Senecio cineraria and Salvia farinacea .

Planting

An average bedding density of 16 plants per square metre is recommended so that each individual specimen can develop compact growth and thus obtain a proportionate and formally balanced overall composition. Take care to place the plant in a raised bed with the collar above the soil surface, ensuring that the root ball is moist.

Watering

Rainwater can be used for irrigation, alternatively canal water with an optimal neutral pH, by hand-watering or sprinkling. Take extra care in the initial stages following transplanting during which the plant may be more exposed to water stress in the new site, keeping the latter at a constant humidity but not in saturated conditions. Thereafter, as the roots of the gazania are afraid of excess water causing root rot, it is advisable to allow the soil or substrate to dry out slightly between successive transplantations while preventing dryness. Although drought-tolerant, it must be well watered during the summer in order to express better flowering as the newly formed flowers would dry out in dry conditions.

Fertilising

Before transplanting, carry out a background fertilisation by burying organic or slow-release chemical fertiliser. Following proper establishment in the new planting site, during the spring-summer period, apply a balanced liquid fertiliser specifically for ornamental flowering plants to the soil or substrate; it is advisable not to exceed the doses applied and the frequency of application as delays in flowering may be caused by excess fertiliser, particularly nitrogen.

Edibility for humans

Non-edible

Tip

Gazania Sun love can be grown near the sea because it is salt tolerant. During the summer the plants need to be well watered to give their best, although they are drought tolerant, but with dry conditions they will dry out their newly formed flowers. In warmer weather, however, flowering drops off a little, but will resume more abundantly in the autumn up to temperatures close to zero degrees. The well-bloomed plant can withstand temperatures as low as -5 °C and above for a few hours in winter. In Mediterranean areas near the sea, it easily becomes perennial and starts to flower again early in spring.