How to Grow and Care for Treasure Flower

Gazania is a warm weather perennial with large compound flowers of bright yellow and orange tones. It is sometimes referred to as the African daisy because of its daisy-like flower heads, although other plants – particularly those in the genus Osteospermum – also use this name.

With its vibrant color spectrum, this low-maintenance flower is great for brightening up hard-to-design spaces. The plant is a prolific bloomer that attracts butterflies.

Plant Gazania in mid or late spring when the soil has warmed. They will flower about 12 weeks after planting from seed. When grown in zones 9 through 11, they can occur as perennials, blooming through fall and winter and into spring. The flowers can recover from light frosts.

Gazania care
Gazania flowers are ideal for any gardener looking for a showy bloom that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. Gazania plants don’t mind the heat radiating off the sidewalk, so consider including them in your sidewalk garden or along your driveway. Their preference for well-drained soil makes them a natural choice for a rock garden.

Plant young gazania about 30cm apart to allow them to spread properly.

Deadhead Gazania flowers to extend the flowering period of the plants.

Light
Gazania flowers thrive in full sun. Morning or afternoon shade can cause the flowers to remain closed for part of the day and the plants to become lanky and exceed their normal height of 15-30cm.

Floor
Gazania do best in sandy, well-drained soil but will tolerate many soil types and conditions. Its preferred pH is neutral (close to pH 7.0), but it also tolerates acidic soil down to 5.8 and alkaline soil.

Water
The leathery foliage of Gazania plants is an indication of this flower’s high drought tolerance. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

temperature and humidity
Gazania likes hot, dry conditions and works well with similarly adapted flowers such as vinca, cosmos, verbena or globe amaranth.

fertilizer
In their natural habitat on the rocky cliffs of South Africa, Gazania grow on soil with low fertility. Compost and additional fertilizer are not required.