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Gardening with Gael - From the garden to the bright side of the road

 

thumbnail IMG 2450-447Gazanias have never really appealed to me but their showy range of colours, their ability to withstand drought, poor soil conditions and their open flowers have made them increasingly appealing.

My friend Marg, who prefers them to begonias, has brought my attention to the garden in Barcelona designed by Gaudi, which is a sweep of gazanias of every colour. Resembling a colourful patchwork quilt, or floral carpet, en masse they look amazing. I think the fact that they stay a regular height, planting an array of colour marries them well into one another.

It is easy to swap bits with friends and trade colours. Also called Treasure flower or African daisy, once they are established they cover 20-30 cm and by planting them 20cm apart they will cover an area remarkably quickly. I have found some great colours from Helen and Rowie at the Village Market. Dark bronze, orange, orange with stripes, yellow, several shades of purple and mauve and cream. Cream or white is the colour that makes the carpet ‘ping’ and an occasional plant of cream or white is enough. Shades of purple are the opposite on the colour wheel to orange, and mixed with the yellow and orange suddenly both colours become more intense. They do require full sun, their flowers close at night and open once the sun is upon them. An occasional water encourages larger blooms.

Gazanias are a perennial but dividing them up and watching for new seedlings keeps the plants fresh. I have found seedlings in my drive (again more proof that plants love gravel) and it is always a surprise to see what colour appears. They grow happily in coastal conditions. How have I not enjoyed them in the past? I think in isolation they have no impact and are easily overlooked. I am surprised how much joy I am getting from my gazania border. I fall upon a new colour with great enthusiasm.

Once they are established they may need the occasional water maybe every ten days or two weeks, especially if we get the intense heat that we experienced last year.

Another plant, also an African daisy, is the more spreading osteospermum. Easily identified by their alternate brighter green leaves, osteospermum are the spreading daisies you find on the side of the road in colours from white to maroon. Garden centres have named varieties venturing into the golds and bronzes. I planted white osteospermum as ground cover on my white wall at the Block. Spreading over a greater area, one plant can cover up to a metre and their flowers can reach up to 60 cm in height.

Their ease of growth can be observed on the side of the road where they compete with all manner of weeds very successfully. Because of their more rampant habit they are perfect plant ‘fillers’ that I wrote about last week. Unfortunately I planted one too close to a carpet rose. At the moment the osteospermum is winning. Removing spent heads and an occasional pruning keep them in check.

tip-830One of my favourites is the variety that has the ‘spoon-like’ petals. There is a white one with a dark centre and the backs of the petals are blue. It is called osteospermum ‘whirlygig’. The petal form is fascinating.

Incorporate these drought resistant plants into your garden for that cheering splash of colour. Most rewarding.

 
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