Ornamental · Asteraceae
Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera jamesonii
Give it full sun, sharp drainage, and a dry crown, and your gerbera daisy will hand you bright blooms from spring to fall.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
45–75°F · 7–24°C
120–150 days
Overview
The gerbera daisy brings some of the cheeriest color you can grow, opening wide, flat flowers in reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, and white. It comes from South Africa, where it lives as a tender perennial, and it shares a family with sunflowers and asters. If you garden outside the mildest zones, you'll likely enjoy it as a bright annual or keep it in a pot you can carry to shelter, and either way it's a joy.
You may hear that it's fussy, but really there's just one thing to get right, and that's water. Its low crown will rot if it sits wet, so the whole secret is rich, fast-draining soil paired with a watering habit that lets that crown dry between drinks. Once that clicks into place, you'll find the rest wonderfully forgiving.
Give it full sun, a little breathing room, and a quick deadheading each week, and it pays you back with months of flowers on tall, tidy stems. Better still, those stems make it one of the loveliest cut flowers you can bring in from your own garden.
Care
The short version: full sun with a bit of afternoon shade in the heat, rich soil that drains sharply, steady moisture while the crown stays dry and high, and a gentle deadheading habit to keep those blooms coming.
Light
Your gerbera daisy is happiest in full sun, meaning six or more hours a day. A touch of afternoon shade is welcome where summers get hot, but lean too far into shade and you'll end up with leggy plants and only a few flowers.
Water
Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy, letting the crown dry out between waterings. Water low at the base early in the day and leave the sprinkler off, since wet crowns and leaves are how rot and disease sneak in.
Soil
Set it into rich, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter mixed through. It likes things a little acidic, around a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, and honestly good drainage is the kindest thing you can give it.
Temperature
It's most content between 45°F to 75°F (7°C to 24°C) and won't survive a frost. Heat above that range can pause the flowering, so a little shade during the hottest stretch of summer really helps.
Humidity
Everyday humidity suits it just fine, so there's no number you need to chase. Good airflow matters more than any humidity reading, because still, crowded air is what invites powdery mildew.
Feeding
Feed it every two weeks through the growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer, or lean on a controlled-release feed applied 2 to 3 times across the year. Keep a gentle watch for iron and manganese shortfalls, which pale the newest leaves, and correct them as soon as you notice.
Pruning
There's next to no pruning to fuss over beyond deadheading. Snip away the faded blooms as they go and your plant keeps sending up fresh ones, often for months on end.
Repotting
Give a potted gerbera fresh mix every 1 to 2 years, or sooner if you spot roots circling, flowers thinning out, or soil that dries in a flash. Always settle the crown right at the surface, never below it.
Size & spacing
These plants stay nicely compact, reaching 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm) tall and spreading 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 cm) wide. Give each one a bit of room and moving air to keep mildew from ever getting a foothold.
When to plant
The gerbera daisy loves warmth and can't stand a frost, so timing is your friend here. Start seed indoors in late winter, move your plants outside once the spring chill has truly passed and the soil has warmed, and then settle in for flowers from late spring all the way through autumn.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: after the last spring frost when soil has warmed
- Harvest: late spring through autumn
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–10
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every gerbera hiccup comes back to water sitting where it shouldn't, with pests trailing far behind. Keep a friendly eye on the crown and the leaves, since that's where the earliest signs show. Match what you see below and act early, and you'll usually catch things in plenty of time.
Your plant flops over with soft brown rot down at the base
Take heart, because this is a problem you can head off next time. What you're seeing is crown and root rot, and it takes hold when the soil stays soggy or the crown gets tucked in too deep, leaving your gerbera to wilt even while the ground feels wet. Lift the sick plants gently, set them back in with the crown resting right at the soil surface, and water low and early so the roots get their chance to dry.
Fix:
- Remove affected plants
- Improve drainage with raised beds or containers
- Replant with the crown level at the soil surface
- Water at the base early in the day
A pale, dusty film creeping across the leaves
Don't panic if you spot this one, since it's very manageable. That dusty layer is powdery mildew, a fungus that settles in when the air is muggy and plants are packed together, and it can leave the foliage beneath it yellowing. Gently thin things out so air can move through, keep the leaves dry, and only turn to a fungicide if the mildew truly gets ahead of you.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid wetting foliage
- Apply an appropriate fungicide if severe
Speckled yellow leaves, thin webbing, or twisted young growth
This is nothing you can't handle. Speckled, yellowing leaves and fine webbing point to sap-sucking pests like spider mites, aphids, thrips, and whiteflies, and the good news is they give themselves away once you know where to look. Turn a leaf over and check the underside, then rinse the foliage and follow up with insecticidal soap or neem oil, repeating as the label says until your plant is in the clear.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage
- Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil
- Repeat applications as directed
Toxicity
Here's a nice bit of reassurance for pet owners and parents: the gerbera daisy is non-toxic across the board. The ASPCA marks it safe for cats, dogs, and horses, and there's no toxin to worry over for other animals or for a curious child.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax with cats in the house. The ASPCA lists the gerbera daisy as non-toxic, so a curious nibble from a passing cat is nothing to fret over.
Dogs None
Dogs are in the clear too. There's no toxin here, though a pup that gobbles a big mouthful of any plant might feel a little queasy for a while.
Horses None
No need to worry about horses grazing nearby. The ASPCA marks the gerbera daisy as safe for them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can be around the flowers and leaves with nothing to harm them.
Livestock Safe
Livestock that graze near it are perfectly fine, since there's no poison to trouble them.
Birds Safe
Your birds, whether pets or the backyard sort, can share the space in comfort, because it holds no toxins.
People Safe
It's gentle with people too, so even little hands reaching for the cheerful blooms are quite safe.
Varieties
Gerbera daisies bloom in more colors than you can count, yet a handful of named picks are worth knowing for what they add to a planting. These are lovely ones to look for by name.
Mardi Gras
If you love a splash of color, this one delights with several bright ray shades blooming together on the very same plant.
Rainbow
This friendly series gives you a broad sweep of flower colors on neat, compact plants that fit almost anywhere.
Green Kermit
For something a little different, its double blooms and green centers make a charming, offbeat choice.
How to propagate
There are two friendly ways to make more gerbera daisies: dividing a clump you already grow, or starting fresh plants from seed. Both ask for a little patience, but neither is beyond you.
DivisionModerate
Early spring or after flowering · Several weeks to a few months
When a clump has matured, you can gently lift and divide it in early spring or once the flowers have faded, taking care to keep each piece's crown right at the soil surface. Give it time, because a fresh division needs anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months to root in and grow on its own, and it will get there.
SeedModerate
Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before last frost · Several months to first bloom
Growing from seed is a rewarding project: sow indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost, resting the seed right on the surface since it needs light to sprout. Keep it warm and evenly moist, and be patient with it, because a seed-grown plant takes several months before it shows you that first bloom.
Myths
Gerbera daisies are toxic to cats and dogs like many other daisies.
It's an easy mix-up, and you can set the worry aside. The ASPCA lists Gerbera jamesonii as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and it simply isn't the same plant as the daisy relatives that really do cause trouble.
Gerbera daisies like to be kept constantly soggy.
This is the one habit to unlearn, since soggy roots are what hurt them. Soil that never gets a chance to dry invites crown and root rot, so give your plant well-drained ground and let the crown dry out between drinks and it will thank you.