Garvinea, the hardy gerbera

A garvinea flower is a variety of gerbera that has the advantage of being hardy and can thus be grown in the garden anytime of the year.

Key Garvinea facts

Name – Gerbera garvinea
Family – Asteraceae (the daisy family)
Type – perennial

Height – 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm)
Exposure – sun or light shade

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – May to October

Planting a garvinea

The garvinea is a perennial plant that blooms abundantly but that fears freezing below 23/25°F (-4/-5°C).

A garvinea seedling can be planted indifferently in spring or fall.

• This plant loves sun and likes being protected from strong winds.
• Frequent watering after planting is recommended.
• Place plants about 16 to 20 inches (40 to 50 cm) apart.

Propagation is possible in spring through crown division or by sowing seeds in a tray towards February-March.

Watering and fertilizing garvinea

Regular but moderate watering is called for. The Gerbera garvinea requires little water but quite often, in order to keep the soil slightly moist.

The strength of the Garvinea series is its hardiness which enables it to grow outdoors as a perennial even in colder climates.

In spring and summer

If in a pot or a garden box, keep the soil mix a bit moist and check that water drains properly.

Provide liquid leaf plant fertilizer more or less once a month to extend the blooming to the maximum.

• Water from above, ideally with water that isn’t hard.
• Never wet the leaves and flowers of your garvinea.

To retain a certain moisture level, it is best to put the pot or garden box on a bed of clay pebbles wallowing in water.

In fall and winter

No specific watering is needed during this part of the year, since rain usually fulfills the water needs of the plant.

• If your garvineas are in pots in places where rain doesn’t fall, water at most once a month.

Common diseases that infect garvinea

Most diseases to expect are common gerbera diseases such as aphids, red spider mites, scale insects and also powdery mildew.

• Leaves that grow smaller and smaller in size show that you need to consider repotting your garvinea.
• If the color of the leaves turns pale, it is probably due to a lack of fertilizer.

Garvinea when grown outdoors is particularly vulnerable to aphids. To avoid this, spray it often with a pyrethrum-based insect killer.

Multiple Gerbera garvinea varieties

All Gerbera garvinea varieties derive from recent developments by Florist Holland BV, a Holland-based enterprise that continuously works on new garvinea varieties.

Those currently showcased in this article are the Gerbera garvinea ‘Fleurie‘, ‘Sweet Surprise‘, ‘Sweet honey‘, ‘Sweet Dreams‘ and the astounding ‘Sweet glow‘.

Learn more about Gerbera garvinea

A fabulous perennial plant, the garvinea bestows us with daisy-shaped flowers that are pink, red, yellow or simply white.

The ideal lifespan of a garvinea usually never extends longer than 3 years. You’ll have to replace it after this time span.

Although it resists the cold well, it is however vulnerable to deep frost spells, which means you must protect it whenever temperatures drop below 25°F (-4°C).

• Proper dried leaf mulch or horticultural fleece should do the trick.
• For pots or garden boxes, bring your garvinea in a well-lit, cool but non-freezing room.

Read also:

• Gerbera, a magnificent indoor plant

Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden under © CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 unless stated otherwise (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
G. garvinea ‘Sweet Glow’ by i_am_jim/Wikimedia Commons under © CC BY-SA 4.0
Red garvinea flowers in garden by Nicola Gordon/Adobe Stock
Gerbera garvinea ‘Sweet Surprise‘ shared by Patrick Cleere
Gerbera garvinea ‘Fleurie’ shared by Urban Jungle
G. garvinea ‘Sweet Dreams’ shared by JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University
G. garvinea ‘Sweet Honey’ in pot shared by Valleybrook Gardens, Public Domain