Ornamental · Asteraceae
Gazania
Gazania rigens
Give it full sun and dry feet, and the treasure flower throws open bold, daisy-bright blooms all season.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 8–11
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
Gazania, the treasure flower, is a low, spreading member of the daisy family that hails from southern Africa. It earns its keep with big, bold blooms in hot oranges, yellows, reds, and stripes, carried on short stems just above a tidy mat of leaves. Grown as a tender perennial in mild winters and as an annual everywhere colder, it suits beds, borders, and containers where it can soak up the sun.
What sets gazania apart is how little it asks. It thrives in poor, sandy soil, takes drought in stride once it roots in, and keeps flowering from spring well into fall. The catch is that the flowers track the sun, opening wide in bright light and folding shut at night or under a gray sky, so a sunny spot is the price of a full show.
Give it heat, light, and soil that drains fast and gazania nearly looks after itself. Push too much water its way, though, and the same toughness works against you, because soggy roots are the one thing it won't forgive.
Care
The short version: full sun, light well-drained soil, and a careful hand with the watering can. Let the soil dry between drinks, deadhead the spent flowers, and feed lightly through the growing season.
Light
Gazania wants full sun, at least six hours a day. The flowers stay shut in shade and only open wide in bright, direct light, so the sunniest spot you have is the right one.
Water
Go easy here. Let the top half of the soil dry out between waterings, roughly every 7 to 14 days once the plant is established, and back off further in cool or wet stretches. Drought it handles, but soggy soil rots the roots and crown.
Soil
Plant it in light, well-drained ground, even poor sandy soil it takes happily. A pH anywhere from 5.5 to 7.5 works, and sharp drainage matters far more than richness.
Temperature
Gazania runs through a wide band, from about 19°F to 90°F (-7°C to 32°C). It takes summer heat in stride and survives a light chill, but a hard frost finishes a plant grown in the open.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it, so there's no figure to hit. Damp, stagnant air is the thing to avoid, since it invites powdery mildew onto the leaves.
Feeding
Feed lightly with a balanced general fertilizer through the growing season, about once a month. Gazania does fine in lean soil, so a gentle hand beats a heavy one and keeps the plant blooming rather than leafing out.
Pruning
There's no real cutting back to do. Just deadhead the spent flowers as they fade, which keeps fresh buds coming and stops the plant from pouring energy into seed.
Size & spacing
Plants stay low and tidy, around 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall and about as wide. Give each one roughly that much room to spread so air moves freely and the mat fills in without crowding.
When to plant
Gazania loves warmth and won't stand a hard frost. Start seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost, move the young plants out once the cold has passed and the soil has warmed, and the blooms follow from spring through fall until frost ends the season.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date
- Plant: After the last spring frost date once soil has warmed
- Harvest: Blooms spring through fall, often until first frost; flowering may pause during the hottest part of summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–11
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Most gazania trouble comes down to too much water or too little sun. Read the early signs on the roots, leaves, and flowers and you can usually set things right with a small change. Match what you see below, then act before it spreads.
Stems and crown turn brown and mushy, then the plant flops
This is root and stem rot, and it almost always traces back to too much water or soil that drains slowly. Once the crown goes soft there is no saving the plant, so pull it and toss it. Cut back on watering, work some grit into the bed, and let the soil dry out between drinks.
Fix:
- Reduce watering
- Improve soil drainage
- Remove and discard affected plants
A dusty white film spreading over the leaves
That white coating is powdery mildew, a fungus that takes hold when the air stays damp and still. Pull off the worst of the marked leaves and open the planting up so air can move through. Watering at the base rather than over the top keeps the foliage dry and slows it down.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid overhead watering
- Remove affected foliage
Cottony tufts or a sticky film on plants kept indoors
Plants overwintered inside often pick up mealybugs or aphids, which leave cottony patches and a sticky honeydew on the stems. Rinse the bugs off and follow up with insecticidal soap, repeating until they clear. Keep an infested plant apart from the others so the problem does not spread.
Fix:
- Wash off pests
- Apply insecticidal soap
- Isolate infested plants
Flowers stay shut or barely crack open
This is not a problem at all, just the plant doing what it does. Gazania flowers close at night and on overcast days, and they only spread wide in bright, direct sun. Move the planting somewhere it gets at least six hours of light and the blooms open right up.
Fix:
- Site in full sun (6+ hours direct light)
Toxicity
Gazania is one of the easy ones to keep around the house and garden. It isn't listed as toxic, so cats, dogs, and grazing animals are all safe near it, and a curious nibble from a child or pet is nothing to worry about. Plant it freely wherever you like.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe to share a home with. A curious cat that nibbles a leaf or flower won't be harmed.
Dogs None
No cause for worry. Gazania isn't poisonous to dogs, so a stolen mouthful from the bed is nothing to lose sleep over.
Horses Safe
Grazing horses are fine around it, since the plant carries no toxins that would trouble them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can graze on the foliage without any risk.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can be kept near it without concern; nothing in the plant is toxic to them.
Birds Safe
Birds that peck at the seeds or petals are in no danger from the plant.
People Safe
Harmless to have around children. It isn't grown to eat, but a stray taste won't cause any trouble.
Varieties
Most gazanias you'll meet come from a few breeding lines, sorted by how early they bloom, how they're colored, and how their leaves look. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Daybreak series (e.g. Daybreak Bright Yellow)
A compact bedding strain whose flowers open earlier in the morning and stay open longer than the older types.
New Day Tiger Mix
An early-flowering F1 mix with bold striped, bicolored blooms, though it runs more prone to Phytophthora root and stem rot than most.
Talent series (e.g. Talent Orange)
Grown as much for its silvery-gray leaves as its flowers, which keep opening even when the light is weaker.
How to propagate
Gazania is easy to multiply, whether you raise a fresh batch from seed each spring or keep a favorite plant going by division.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost; transplant outdoors after frost · Several weeks to form an established plant after transplanting
Seed is the usual way to raise gazania for bedding. Start it indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, then move the seedlings out once the cold has passed, and give them a few weeks in the ground to settle into established plants.
DivisionEasy
Take basal offsets in late summer to early fall and root them · A few weeks to root and establish
Division is how you hang on to a favorite plant or a named cultivar over winter. Lift basal offsets in late summer or early fall, root them indoors, and they take hold within a few weeks to carry the same plant into next year.
Myths
Gazania needs frequent watering like most annuals.
Once it has settled in, gazania asks for far less water than the average annual and shrugs off dry spells. Overwatering is the real danger here, since soggy soil rots the roots and crown from below.
Gazania flowers stay open around the clock.
The blooms follow the sun, closing up at night and on dull, cloudy days. They open fully only in bright light, so a planting in shade or a stretch of gray weather will look shut for long stretches.