Growing Gazania Flowers is always am amazing experience because they are so beautiful. Watching all of the colors unfold is incredible. When we first started growing Gazania Flowers we had no information to go off of on how to grow them. The package they came in only had to pictures on it for care and maintenance. A picture or a sun and a picture of water. Sometimes the packets have little to no information on them. Gazania Flowers also aren’t very common to grow so we had to do a lot of research and trail and error. There is all of the basic care and maintenance information you will need to start growing your own Gazanias.
Sun – Fun fact: Gazanias close up in shade and at night so if you want to actually see your flowers keeping them in full sun all day is best. They also love full sun and will grow bushy when they get enough sun.
Soil – These flowers are great because while they they love sandy well draining soil they can grow in any type of soil. We have grown them in a verity or soils in a verity of conditions and zones and they have done well.
Spacing – They need to be planted 12 to 18 inches apart. The reason for this is that they like to spread and use out. If your Gazanias get leggy and grow to 12 inches and don’t get bushy they are most likely either don’t have enough space or are not getting enough sun.
Water – You can water Gazanias every 2 weeks. They like hot and dry weather and don’t like to be sitting in water and can handle dryness. If it gets to hot and your soil is drying to quickly they will need to be watered more often.
Food – Gazanias don’t need to be fertilized after you plant them as they can go a whole season with the fertilizer you put in the soil when you first plant them. However they do need to be fertilized when you prune them back.
Annual or Perennial – This really depends on where you live and how the climate is. In colder climates Gazanias are annuals and in warmer climates the are perennials and will spread and grow all year round. They are also known as evergreens in certain parts of the world. You can try to keep them growing by covering them so they wont get cold in the winter or bringing them inside in cold weather if they are in pots.
Climate/Hardiness – Gazanias originate from Africa and love hot dry conditions.
Harvest – Gazanias do produce seeds and you can harvest them after they have fully matured in the flower pods.
Transplant – Ganzanias can be easily transplanted and will not die do to transplanting. You can even by gazanias in seedling form and transplant them into your garden.
Tip: Deadhead Gazanias like you would roses so they will grow more flowers in during season. Gazanias can bloom more than once a season and deadheading insure this will happened, as they will continue to feed the deadheads and that will prevent new ones from growing.