2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Gazania (lat. Gazania) - flower culture; a genus of plants belonging to the Asteraceae family, or Asteraceae. It occurs naturally in the southern regions of Africa. The plant is often called gatsania. More than 30 species are currently known.
Description
Gazania is represented by low herbaceous plants with short stems, bearing green or grayish dissected feathery lanceolate foliage, pubescent over the entire surface. As they grow, they form a rosette.
Inflorescences in the form of baskets, they are quite saturated, reaches a diameter of 7-10 cm, consist of tubular and reed (marginal) flowers.. Depending on the variety and type, they can be bright yellow, orange, lemon, brick, raspberry, pink or a red tint.
A distinctive feature of the plant is dark spots that form closer to the base of the marginal flowers and create a finely delineated ring-shaped pattern. At night and cloudy weather, gazania inflorescences close. The fruit is a hairy achene with a tuft. Seeds remain viable for 1-2 years.
The subtleties of cultivation
Gazania belongs to sun-loving crops, for normal development it requires intense light. Soil conditions are also important. Crops prefers nutritious, moist, neutral, loose soils. Gazania does not tolerate saline, compacted, heavy and acidic soils. Gazania is drought-resistant, rather cold-resistant.
Breeding features
Gazania propagates by seed and cuttings. Growing is most often done through seedlings. Seeds are sown at the end of March in boxes filled with a moist and nutritious substrate. The first shoots appear in a couple of weeks. The picking of seedlings is carried out in peat pots in the phase of one or two leaves. In the second or third decade of May, plants are transplanted into the ground, observing a distance of 20 cm.
Cuttings can be carried out in June. Cuttings are cut from the shoots closer to the base of the shortened stem. Before planting for rooting, the cuttings are treated with a solution that stimulates growth. Shade from the sun for several days. Rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place in the fall.
Care
Gazania requires systematic moisture. Removing wilted inflorescences is encouraged, thanks to this procedure, new buds are formed on the plants. Gasania responds positively to feeding with solutions of complex mineral fertilizers. Fertilizers must be applied at least once every 3-4 weeks. With the onset of cold weather, the culture is transferred to the house or winter garden.
Usage
Gazanias are a wonderful decoration for flower beds and flower beds. They blend harmoniously into borders and various mixed compositions. You can grow plants as ampels. Gazania is combined with ursinia, arctotis, dimorphotes and venidiums.
Recommended:
Gazania Hybrid
Gazania hybrid (lat.Gazania x hybrida hort) - a representative of the famous and very popular among gardeners and florists of the genus Gazania, belonging to the largest family of Asteraceae, or Astrovs. Hybrid gazania includes a number of groups and varieties of hybrid origin, obtained by crossing long-rifle gazania, harsh gazania, single-flowered gazania and other equally common species.
Gazania Harsh
Harsh gazania (lat.Gazania rigens) - flowering culture; one of the brightest representatives of the Gazania genus of the Compositae family, or Astrovye. Another name is gazania brilliant. Sometimes the culture is called harsh or shiny gatsania.
Gazania One-flowered
Gazania one-flowered (lat.Gazania unifiora) - flowering culture; a representative of the Gazania genus, belonging to the Asteraceae family, or Astrovye. One of the most attractive types. It is rarely used in ornamental gardening, although in terms of decorativeness it is in no way inferior to numerous varieties and hybrids of hybrid gazania.
Gazania Peacock
Gazania peacock (lat.Gazania pavonia) - flowering decorative culture; one of the many representatives of the Gazania genus of the Compositae family, or Astrovye. The species is not popular, although some gardeners and florists have appreciated its decorative properties and grow the plant in their personal backyards and summer cottages.
Sleeping Gazania
The rhythm created by nature, in which day and night, creation and rest alternate, affects not only people, but also animals and plants. Many of the flowering plants fold their flower petals tightly to each other in the evening, as if preparing to take a break from a hectic day with its sunbeams, buzzing insects, and human speech. One of them is a perennial herb, which people gave the mysterious name "Gazania"