Gazania Garden Star Mix seeds - Treasure Flower

The 'Garden Star Mix' dwarf Gazania is a variety in a mix of vibrant colours. The flowers are 6 to 8 cm in diameter, in sun yellow, orange, dark orange, bright pink and salmon. The centre is yellow, sometimes circled in black. The not very cold-resistant plant, has a very compact habit and offers abundant flowering, even in hot and dry conditions. From spring to the first frosts, it beautifies borders and sunny planters. Outside very mild regions, Gazania is generally grown as an annual.

Gazania or Treasure Flower is an Asteraceae with a daisy-like silhouette found throughout tropical Africa. It is a perennial cultivated as an annual in Europe. The 'Garden Star Mix' Gazania is a compact cultivar that forms a small clump of leafy stems not exceeding 20 cm in all directions in just a few weeks. The early and prolonged flowering renews from May to October if faded flowers are regularly removed. At the end of branched stems, solitary inflorescences form, resembling large, 6 to 8 cm diameter daisies. Each has a row of outer ligules positioned in a staggered manner. This collar of outer florets surrounds a centre composed of tubular central florets, giving it a velvety appearance. The flowers tend to close when the sun goes in. The basal leaves of 'Garden Star Mix' Gazania are oval, leathery, fairly dark green and shiny on the upper side, and silvery grey on the underside.

Sow 'Garden Star Mix' Gazania under shelter at the end of winter and in spring, before planting them in small clusters in borders, combined with more subdued coloured plants. Place them in full sun, in the hottest spot in the garden, in well-drained soil, preferably sandy and dry. They do not tolerate stagnant moisture, but if you water them sparingly and regularly, they will only be more beautiful. They thrive in rock gardens, on slopes and in raised beds. Their very compact size also makes them suitable for containers, under a veranda or on a patio.