Gerberas come in almost every color. There are different patterns and forms of blooms on the market; some have so many layers of petals that they look like miniature sunflowers. There is variation in center eye color of the bloom with green, cream, or dark brown being most available.
Gerbera Daisy Care Must-Knows
General care of gerbera daisies is simple, but they can be a little more needy of fertilizer than most annuals. Remove any spent blooms on your gerbera to redirect energy spent on seed production for continuous blooms instead.
New Innovations
Most gerbera varieties aren’t available as in-ground plants but, rather, as cut flowers. These plants feature long stems and large foliage, which are both not ideal characteristics for a home garden. However, there is work being done on gerberas as potted plants. Many of these miniature varieties look great as a single plant in a pot or thrown in a mixed container with other colorful annuals.
More Varieties of Gerbera Daisy
‘Woman’ Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera ‘Woman’ bears bright pink flowers with fluffy pink centers.
‘Sombrero’ Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera ‘Sombrero’ offers deep red flowers with purple-black centers.
‘Revolution Red’ Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera ‘Revolution Red’ produces large red flowers on a plant that blooms earlier than most other gerbera daisies. It grows 10 inches tall.
Plant Gerbera Daisy With:
Dichondra
This striking trailing annual gives you a fresh, new way to work in elegant silver foliage into your container and other plantings. Perfect in a hanging basket, window box, or other container, this plant can trail up to 6 feet with showy, soft foliage like no other. Native to areas of the Southwest, it’s also very heat- and drought-tolerant so you can count on it to look good all season long, even if it wilts a few times. It’s a perennial in the very warmest parts of the U.S. but is treated like an annual elsewhere. It needs well-drained soil (another reason it’s great for containers), so be careful to avoid wet spots if you’re planting it directly in the ground.
Heliotrope
Even without its fabulous scent, heliotrope would be widely grown in the garden. It has a distinctive scent—some say it smells like cherry pie, others say a grape ice pop. Still, others say it’s reminiscent of vanilla. Regardless, it is undeniably one of the most intriguingly scented plants in the garden. As a bonus, this tropical plant, grown as an annual, bears big clusters of rich purple, blue, or white flowers. Heliotrope thrives in a spot with full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It’s a great container plant—try it in a window box or next to a doorway where you can enjoy it frequently. For the strongest scent, group several plants together where they can get afternoon sun. That warming sun releases the fragrance.
Lisianthus
Lisianthus flowers make people ooh and ahh. Some varieties of this annual look like a blue rose. It’s such an elegant flower you’d never guess it’s native to American prairies. And lisianthus is one of the best cut flowers, lasting in the vase for two to three weeks. Lisianthus can be challenging to grow. They’re extremely tricky to grow from seed, so start with established seedlings. Plant them in rich, well-drained soil in full sun after all danger of frost has passed. Keep moist but do not overwater. Taller varieties of lisianthus often need staking to keep their long stems from breaking, but newer dwarf varieties are more carefree.
