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The most common daisy is the "Shasta Daisy",
Chrysanthemum maximum which is a perennial.
Sometimes, people buy a daisy which are described
as Giant Daisy. It is a perennial, but it requires
dry conditions in winter, or they may die. Wetness
will kill it in the winter, not the cold.
You can plant it in containers, but then they
are usually treated as annuals. If you store the
container dry and cool for the winter, only watering
the container when it is frost free, and the soil
is throughly dry, you can overwinter the plants
in an unheated garage, tool shed etc. If the planters
are large, you can leave them outdoors. Remember
to use a good container planting mix which drains
well. Avoid clayish garden soil.
Daisies must be deadheaded and like full sun.
Fertilize regularily through the summer. Although
they like well draining soil, and prefers to stay
on the dry side in winter, they should never be
allowed to dry out in summer. Water regularily,
and deeply, so that the soil is consistently moist.
It helps to mulch the plant in summer to preserve
moisture.
Gerberas belong to a genus of about 40 species
of hairy perennialsfrom grassland in temperate
and mountainous regions of Africa, Madagascar,
Asia and Indonesia. They are half hardy to frost
tender. The ones we mostly know are Gerbera jamesonii
,Barberton Daisy/Transvaal Daisy. Within this
'group' there are various cultivars e.g.
Californian Giants' which have single flowers
in shades of yellow, apricot, orange, red, pink
and the 'Pandora' series to name but two. These
are the ones you find either as a cut flower or
pot plant with their vibrant colours. They are
a beautiful flower but have got a mind of their
own when used in arrangements, where they tend
to bend and twist, adding their own special magic
to your display.
Gerbera, comes in a single stem, with no leaves
and comes in wonderful colours from white, yellow,
orange, red, through to shocking pink and magenta.
They are a lovely vibrant flower which look stunning
on their own in a vase with maybe a little bear
grass. I would imagine that any florist relay
organisation such as Interflora would be able
to source these for you. I would be very surprised
if they didn't.
Did you transplant them to a different container
after you brought them home? If so, they are probably
exhibiting signs of transplant shock which is
very understandable with the huge blooms of a
Gerbera Daisy. You should probably go ahead and
cut off the oldest blooms so that the plant can
start producing new blooms. Gerbera Daisies have
such large brilliant colored flowers that it takes
a little time to produce more.You can tell which
are the oldest blooms just by noting the ones
that are drooping the worst and the color of the
bloom is usually a more faded shade of color than
the newer ones.
Since you already used a fertilizer,wait a bit
after cutting the old blooms, about one week Then
get some Miracle Gro Bloom Buster, or any brand
is fine as long as it is for blooms only. Annuals
need a boost every now and then throughout the
growing season. Mostly they just need a bit of
patience and if you ignore them for awhile, they
will usually surprise you and perk right up without
any help at all.
But especially the Gerbera Daisy will have to
be "deadheaded", old blooms removed, every now
and then to produce maximum blooms. If you do
experience weird weather changes, which is common
in spring, and the temperature dips below 40 degrees,
bring them in or cover them up.
Several weeks ago I planted Gerber Daisies in
potted planters. They looked great for about a
week but now they are drooping and sagging. I
water every couple of days, however, they are
only getting morning/early afternoon sun on my
porch, so the soil doesn't really dry out that
much. I added fertilizer to the potting soil mix
when I planted them.
I have had to learn not to buy Gerber Daisies,
for the reasons you mentioned. They do not hold
up well. The nursery people have figured out how
to get them to bloom beautifully in their greenhouses,
and they look great in the stores, but when you
get them home they fall apart. I understand they
do like a somewhat dry soil, but not too dry.
Probably shouldn't have fertilized them, since
they probably already had fertilizer in the pot.
They need "full" sun. They need some protection
from the elements.
As pretty as they are, my recommendation is, pass
them by in the store and find something less fussy
to deal with. If you don't have a greenhouse that
you can keep to a tempture that most of your plants
like then as I have said just pass them right
by in the store.
About the Author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.SendFlowersGift.info/.
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