Gerbera Daisy

The bright and joyful Gerbera daisy has its roots in the Transvaal region of South Africa. It’s a tender perennial, grown as an annual in the coolest zones but renewing its blooms each spring where it’s warmer. You can use these wonderful plants to bring pure joy and other desirable qualities to your garden. Their vivid blooms on sturdy stems convey a contagious confidence no matter their color. But you can use specific colors to bring out the emotions and qualities you wish to have in your life:

• white, medium pink, and pale yellow to inspire romance and new beginnings of all kinds
• deep yellow for intellectual energy and overall cheer
• pastel green, pale pink, and buff for peace, serenity, and healing
• maroon and red-brown for vigor, productivity, and courage
• medium orange for strength, creativity, and ambition
• gold for pleasure, prosperity, and wisdom
• scarlet and deep orange for passion, power, and energy

Gerbera daisies themselves represent innocence, love, and acceptance, but they have held other more specific roles as well. For instance, it is said that they were once boiled and eaten by lovers as an aphrodisiac. How effective they were in that capacity is not clear, but they are certainly effective in romance when delivered in the hand of a gentleman to his sweetheart—yes, Gerbera daisies are the ideal cut flower. They make striking and long-lasting bouquets, whether all one color or mixed.

The simplicity of their leafless stems puts the entire spotlight on the flower itself, with its pure and happy face. A solitary potted Gerbera in the garden speaks its inspiration as loudly as a mass-planted bed, and you can move it about freely, even taking it indoors as needed to draw off its inspiration.

You can buy many types and colors of Gerbera daisies at Henry Field’s Seed & Nursery Co., Michigan Bulb Co., and Springhill Nursery. Direct Gardening sells the giant Gerberas, which support flowers to 5 inches wide on stems up to 18 inches high.