Bursting with colour, it brings a touch of cheerfulness to rooms and gardens. From an idea by the Flower Council of Holland, everything you need to know about the gerbera.
Once you start, it's hard to stop. Growing a plant requires commitment, consistency and attention — care that will be rewarded with colour, cleaner air and a touch of vitality in homes and gardens.
The Flower Council of Holland, the Dutch body for the promotion of
floriculture, seeks to spread awareness of plants and help people appreciate their many beneficial properties.
"It was a long time ago now," recalls Giancarlo Montalbetti — a former manager in the information technology sector who decided to say goodbye to computers and devote himself entirely to plants and gardens — "when I was living alone and would go to my grandmother's for dinner every now and then, the thing that made me feel most at home and breathe in that familiar atmosphere was these big, brightly coloured daisies that greeted me as soon as I walked through her door."
Native to Asia, South America and Tasmania, it was discovered by Gronovius, a travelling Dutch botanist, who honoured his German colleague and friend Gerber, a flower collector. Since then, countless varieties have been cultivated: large-flowered, medium-flowered and small-flowered, in a wide spectrum of colours, and perfectly suited as cut flowers too.
It loves very bright, dry and well-ventilated spots. It can also tolerate direct sunlight, but it must be watered regularly with the periodic addition of fertiliser, while allowing the soil to dry out between waterings — otherwise the much-dreaded root rot will set in. You will notice that the flowers open in the morning with the first light of the sun, while in the evening they close, as if to rest, in order to protect themselves from excessive evaporation. The capitulum flowers are very long-lasting and appear at the beginning of summer. In terms of shape and structure, gerbera flowers resemble a daisy.