Once, while buying flower seedlings at the market, the seller gave me two unfamiliar flowers as change. They were gazania seedlings. And since then, this flower has been a permanent fixture at my dacha.
Every year I buy seeds and grow seedlings of these wonderful flowers, somewhat similar to gerberas. The seedlings grow well, they are strong, and there are no problems with them.
I sow the seeds in pots at the beginning of March. I spread the seeds on a damp cotton pad and cover them with plastic wrap. As soon as the seeds begin to sprout, I place them in the pot and lightly cover them with soil. The seedlings are growing on my windowsill.
At the end of April, I transplant each flower separately into a pot and leave it in the greenhouse, and at the end of May I take it outside, and plant some of the seedlings in open ground.
Gazania begins to bloom in July, revealing large, varied flowers in solid or striped colors, yellow, orange, red, brown, pink and white.
This flower loves the sun and trustingly opens its buds to greet the daylight. When it's cloudy and raining outside, the gazania closes its flowers, folding its petals into buds. The flowers also close at night. It's best to plant the flower in a sunny spot in fertile soil; then it will be simply wonderful.
The plant is drought-resistant, but overwatering can be harmful. Gazanias left in damp soil for extended periods become diseased, darken, and die. Sometimes the flower is attacked by small aphids.
Gazania is an annual plant. However, some say it can be grown as a perennial. Trim the foliage in the fall and move the pot to a bright, cool room for the winter. I tried preserving the gazania by placing the pots in a cellar, but it didn't work—it was probably too humid there. My gazanias perished.
Gazanias grow beautifully from seed, and there's no need to worry about preserving them. I also had no luck growing gazanias from the seeds I collected in the fall; they probably didn't have time to ripen. Flower shops always have seeds, so I'll have wonderful gazanias blooming at my dacha every summer.