Mountain Top PA
2011
by Jennifer

Believe it! High expectations are the key to everything

QUOTE: A Little ZEN for your Thoughts
PETAL Power

Gerbera L. is a genus of plants in the Asteraceae family. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J. D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a South African species also known as Transvaal daisy or Barberton daisy.

Gerbera daisies are so vividly colored that they can sometimes make you wonder if they're real. Native to South Africa, Gerbera jamesonii is in the Aster family, alongside sunflowers. Gerbera daisies today are the result of hybridization techniques.

In most parts of the United States, Gerberas are tender perennials that come back every year. In cold winter zones without winter protection, these plants are treated as annuals. They are best planted in spring after all chances of frost have passed. Gerbera daisies can be grown from seed outside in containers and garden beds. They'll establish themselves at a moderate pace, delivering their first flowers within 14 to 18 weeks and continuing to bloom throughout the summer.

The large flower heads of these daisies have ray-like petals around a center disk of tiny green or black flowers. There are four different classes of Gerbera daisies: single flower, semi-double flower, double flower, and spider flower. Each class delineates the number, position, and type of petals. The leaves of the plant are lobed or pinnate and often toothed.

Gerbera daisies are named for 1700s naturalist Traugott Gerber. They are also called African daisies, Barberton daisies, Transvaal daisies, and Veldt daisies. Gerberas are symbolic of joy, beauty, and a sunny disposition.