Gerbera daisy rebloomed

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on March 12, 2012 at 8:47 AM, updated March 12, 2012 at 8:50 AM

gerbera.lollipop.JPGA happy gerbera daisy in bloom.

   Q: I bought a gerbera daisy last spring, and we had it outside blooming during the summer. We took it inside in a pot, and it blossomed again. Now we have another blossom. I wonder if you have an explanation for this "annual" plant.

   A: Gerbera daisies are actually perennial flowers in warmer climates, such as California and their native South Africa.

   They'll behave like any other perennial in their native setting, i.e. blooming for several weeks a year in summer, then going bloomless the rest of the season before going dormant in winter.

   I think yours is a little "confused" about season. It was forced into bloom early in a greenhouse before you bought it in spring. Then when it normally would've been in the post-bloom vegetative state, it went outside in the kind of warmth and sunlight that triggers its usual blooming. Your second bloom may have been a response to that.

   Spending most of the winter inside in drier, darker weather simulated the plant's dormant season. Now with brightening days, apparently at least one flower stalk "thinks" its time to bloom for the next season already.

   All of the moves basically added up to giving you one good gerbera bloom and two half-hearted ones in the space of one full year.

   Gerberas can be pretty finicky plants. Some people have good luck with them, others run into frequent wilting, whiteflies and just flat-out plant death. Most people around here treat them as one-season potted plants... they toss them when the plants are done blooming.

   Gardeners who have success overwintering gerberas treat them as indoor potted plants in cold weather and either plant them outside in summer or move the pots outside in summer. Many also repot them in fresh soil each spring.

   Gerberas like bright light, well drained soil and a little more water in bloom than when they're just leaves (let the pots go slightly dry before watering in that stage). They also appreciate a balanced fertilizer every 2 to 4 weeks during the growing season.

   They're not only not crazy about temperatures below 45 degrees, but they don't like it really hot either. That's why they're prone to wilting outside when the temperatures hit the upper 80s.