Gazania: description
Gazania is a beautiful flower that is very popular with gardeners. This unpretentious and undersized plant looks good both in single plantings and in compositions with other crops. Breeders have bred many varieties of a flower, and each of them deserves special attention.
This perennial culture belongs to the Aster family. In its natural environment, it can be found in Mozambique and South Africa. The height of the plant does not exceed 20-30 cm. But the low growth of the plant is compensated by the diameter of the bush. On one gazania, up to 30-35 inflorescences bloom at the same time.
Gazania resembles a chamomile with an unusual color of petals
Flower stalks resemble chamomile. They also have the shape of inflorescences-baskets, but surpass it in size. In addition, the petals of the African beauty are colored bright reds, oranges and yellows with a dark base.
Gazania annual: the best varieties
There are 40 known flower varieties. But the following are especially popular with domestic gardeners:
- Gаzania nivea. This variety has large snow-white peduncles with slightly pointed petals.
- Gazania unifiora. The plant produces single inflorescences.
- Gazania longissara. Long stems are a feature of this variety.
- Gazania rigens. A flower with a dark brown base and bright yellow, red or orange ligulate petals.
- Gazania pottsii. The color is the same as the rigens, but the stalks are much larger. Their diameter is 12 cm.
In fact, gazania is a perennial crop. It’s just that in the conditions of our winter, the plant does not survive in the open field. Therefore, it is customary to cultivate it as an annual. But you can transplant your favorite flower into a pot and save it until next spring on a glassed-in balcony.
These varieties have many advantages. First of all, they have large bright peduncles, the diameter of which is 7-10 cm. Besides, the bushes are very voluminous and dense. Popular hybrids:
- Ministar. Variety with white, yellow and orange baskets.
- Chansonette. The petals of the plant are bicolor. Dark brown at the base and bright yellow at the tips.
- Sundance Mixed. It features bright yellow petals with a dark longitudinal stripe.
- Easy Grow. The petals are red with a dark base.
- Daybreak. Differs in many large inflorescences. The baskets are painted in rich orange, yellow and red-brown tones.
If you want to decorate your plot with attractive flowers, then pay attention to gazania. Bright unforgettable inflorescences of culture will add color to any flower bed. At the same time, it is not difficult to grow them, because the plants are distinguished by their unpretentious nature.