If you don't want to see the same plants in your garden every year, you should use annual plants here and there. Such as on the Gazanie.
Since the Gazania comes from sunny South Africa, it also wants a location with lots of sun in this country. If you want the so-called midday gold to thrive on your own balcony, you should definitely ensure the right planting and site conditions and follow all of the following instructions. We will tell you in detail what you need to consider when planting Gazania on your balcony, terrace or in the garden.
You should know from the start that most Gazania from specialist shops are annual plants. They bloom from around June and, with appropriate care, into autumn. Then the Gazania will be over and the perpetual bloomers will have to be planted again next year as beds, tubs or balconies. Incidentally, the Gazania also comes into its own in a lovingly prepared rock garden.
Where does Gazania grow best?
A location in full sun contributes optimally to the splendid thriving of the midday gold. Because the plant also gets a lot of sun in its homeland, so that it is definitely a real sun worshiper. The hotter the location, the better. In fact, a location in full sun is important for several reasons. For one thing, it is essential for Gazania to thrive. On the other hand, the Gazania only open their flowers when they find sufficiently sunny conditions at their respective location. You are not doing yourself any favors by planting the midday gold in a semi-shady, little sunny location. Because then the Gazania is not particularly nice to look at.
What are the substrate requirements for Gazania?
The midday gold grows particularly well in soil with good drainage. You can also help artificially, for example with pieces of pottery that you put in the planting hole in the bed. A floor with the following characteristics is also ideal for theGazania can develop as many leaves as possible and plenty of flowers:
- poor, rather barren soil
- a sandy to loamy soil
- a permeable soil so that waterlogging cannot occur
When excavating from the planting hole, which usually consists of regular garden soil, it is ideal if you mix it with sand. A mixture of sand and standard soil is also recommended for the Gazania as a pot or balcony plant. After all, this mixture contributes to the best possible drainage.
While the water requirement of the plant is medium high, the Gazania prefers a neutral to slightly acidic soil. If you are unsure, it is advisable to check the pH value of the soil accordingly (Testing the pH value in the soil instructions).
Differences between nutrient-poor and rich soils
While many plants love a particularly nutrient-rich soil, this is not the case with Gazania. Because the plant flowers all the more richly on a nutrient-poor, rather barren soil. A soil that is too rich, on the other hand, is not in the interests of most hobby gardeners. Because then the midday gold tends to develop numerous leaves instead of the formation of many pretty, golden shining flowers. This doesn't damage the plant particularly badly, but it doesn't look as attractive as a magnificent, rich inflorescence.
You can recognize a rich soil by its high proportion of hummus. For example, soil that is interspersed with a lot of rotted foliage as well as plenty of dead plant matter is considered rich. A rich soil can also be identified by the fact that it is not only quite dark, but also very crumbly. This makes it easy to check the local soil conditions.
With which plant partners does the Gazania get along particularly well?
If you don't want to plant a Gazania as a solitaire in a bucket, but in the middle of a colorful bed or bright balcony box, the Midday Gold can be combined very well with the following plants:
- Loyal to men
- Pelargonium
- Yellow Sunshine
- Magic Bells
- Hussar buttons
- Industrious Lizzie
- Wanderstock
When is the best time to plant Gazania?
The Gazania should only be planted outdoors when it is guaranteed that no more frost is to be expected. Otherwise, the slightest touch of frost at night will kill the plant. For this very reason, you should first wait for the ice saints beforeyou plant Gazania outdoors. This is around the middle of May.
How to properly plant Gazania
If you follow the above instructions in detail, you can't do much wrong when planting Gazania. Nevertheless, we would like to give all hobby gardeners a few more useful tips to take with them. You should definitely observe the following tips so that the Gazania can grow quickly and easily in its new location and thrive in a visually appealing way:
- First you need to loosen the soil by digging it up.
- Then add lots of gravel or sand to the soil.
- Create a drainage layer of at least ten centimeters in wet floors.
- Plant gazania slightly above ground level in wet soil.
- The planting hole should be twice the size of the Gazania pot.
- Insert the young plant and add sand to the planting hole.
- Press the soil lightly and water the gazania well in its new location.
It is best to plant the Gazania at a distance of 15 centimeters on all sides. In the bed as well as in the tub or in the balcony box, this distance must be maintained equally.