Daisy-shaped flowers in pink, red, yellow or plain white, held on bare stems above a rosette of evergreen leaves: gerbera is an African native grown indoors and prized by florists because it holds so well as the days wear on. Give it good light without direct summer sun and it can flower all year round.
Gerbera at a glance
Name
Gerbera
Family
Asteraceae
Type
Indoor plant
Height
12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm)
Exposure
Well-lit
Foliage
Evergreen
Flowering
All year round
Very often used in bouquets, it holds very well as days wear on and this makes it a favorite of florists.
Planting and re-potting gerbera
Gerbera is a plant that can grow outdoors only in places where it doesn’t freeze. In temperate climates, it can grow and bloom in summer, but don’t expect it to survive over winter.
That’s why it is most often grown as an indoor plant.
Gerbera in a pot:
Gerbera requires good soil mix to bloom again and again.
After that, every 2 years and preferably in spring, repot your gerbera in a pot one size larger (an inch or 3 cm wider across).
During the re-potting:
The new pot must have a drainage hole at the base.
Gerbera roots hate having too much water.
Double-check that the new pot has a hole in the bottom. Increase drainage with a layer of gravel or clay pebbles along the bottom of the pot, to make water flow through more easily.
Good soil mix is needed.
The plant, when it lives indoors, needs soil mix because that is the only source for the nutrients it feeds on.
Low but constant moisture levels must be maintained, without wetting the leaves.
Propagation is possible in spring through crown division or by sowing seeds in a tray towards late winter to early spring.
Where to place your gerbera in the house
Gerbera requires temperatures that hover between 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C) and never drop below 57°F (13°C).
Minimum temperatures are around 40°F (5°C) for a short time only.
The temperature of a house or apartment is thus ideal for growing gerbera.
Plenty of light, but no direct summer sun.
The best location for your gerbera is a spot where there is proper light but no direct sun in summer.
Gerbera can’t stand the sun’s rays when they touch its leaves directly.
So the plant rejoices in adequate light but not direct sun.
Absolutely avoid setting it near heat sources such as radiators, because moisture is what this tropical plant needs most.
It is possible to place your gerbera outdoors in summer in part sun.
In the Mediterranean area, gerbera can live outdoors all year round if proper shelter is provided.
You can put your gerbera very close to gloxinia because they both share the same growing conditions.
Watering and fertilizing
Regular but moderate watering is called for. Gerbera requires small amounts of water but requires it very often.
In spring and summer
Keep the soil mix a bit moist and check that water drains properly.
Plenty of light, but no direct summer sun.
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 is already at room temperature.
Never wet the leaves and flowers of your gerbera.
To retain a certain moisture level, it is best to put the pot on a bed of clay pebbles with water at the bottom.
In fall and winter
Reduce watering and wait for the soil to be thoroughly dry deep down before watering again.
If the color of the leaves turns pale, it is probably due to a lack of fertilizer.
Leaves that grow smaller and smaller in size show that you need to consider repotting your gerbera.
Twist spent gerbera flower stems off at the base rather than cutting them, because leftover stubs rot and carry grey mould down into the crown.
Stand the pot clear of neighbouring plants so air circulates around the rosette, since powdery mildew is favoured by humid, stagnant air among crowded leaves rather than by wet leaf surfaces.
Learn more about Gerbera
Daisy-shaped flowers in pink, red, yellow or white.
A fabulous indoor plant, it bestows us with daisy-shaped flowers that are pink, red, yellow or simply white.
Gerbera is vulnerable to aphids. To avoid this, spray it often with a pyrethrum-based insect killer.
The ideal lifespan of a gerbera never extends longer than 3 years at most. You’ll have to replace it after this time span.
Cultivars that are most often used are Gerbera amesonii and Gerbera viridifolia. Smaller Germini are increasingly used by florists. Newer lines of outdoor hardy gerbera have also appeared, they’re usually called garvinea.
Which gerbera to grow: the main types compared
Not every gerbera is sold for the same purpose: some are classic pot plants, others are florists’ flowers, and one line has been bred for the open garden. Here is how the types named in this article differ.
Which gerbera to grow: the main types compared
Gerbera group
What it is
Typical use
Gerbera amesonii
One of the two most commonly used cultivars
Pot plant and cut flowers
Gerbera viridifolia
One of the two most commonly used cultivars
Pot plant and cut flowers
Germini
Smaller type of gerbera
Increasingly used by florists
Garvinea
Newer hardy lines
Garden growing
Only the garvinea lines are intended for the open garden; the others are grown as indoor plants.
Gerbera in a bouquet
To preserve your gerbera as long as can be in a bouquet, it’s important to use clean water in a vase that has been thoroughly cleansed.
Replace the water in the vase regularly: daily, or at least every other day.
Florists commonly advise keeping only shallow water in the vase for gerberas, since their soft, hairy stems are widely considered prone to rotting and bacterial blockage when submerged deeply.
Recut each stem with a clean, sharp blade every time you renew the water.
Smart tip about gerbera
Gerbera is also very beautiful as a floating flower to decorate a reception table in a wide bowl of water.
