Gazania is sun-tolerant and easy to grow, and gets its name because its flowers look like medals

Gazania, also known as treasure flower, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Gazania of the Asteraceae family. Native to South Africa, it is often grown as an annual or biennial flower. Its ray florets are flat and spreading, and the base usually bears a dark ring of bands or spots, so the whole flower looks like a medal; that is how gazania got its name.

This flower shows very obvious phototropism: the blooms open in sunlight and close at night or on cloudy and rainy days, so it looks best on sunny days. The flower colors are mainly yellow, orange, red and various bicolors. There are many horticultural cultivars, the plants are low and compact, and the flowering period is fairly long. It is often used for edging flower beds and in flower borders, and is also very suitable for balcony container growing.

Gazania likes a sunny, warm and dry environment, is drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging, and is best planted in loose, airy, well-drained sandy soil. For routine watering, you can follow the principle of watering when dry and letting it dry between waterings, avoiding long-term wetness of the potting soil that can cause root rot. Properly supplementing with dilute liquid fertilizer during the growing season can make flowering more abundant. If light is insufficient, the plant tends to grow leggy and the number of flowers will also decrease noticeably.

Propagation is mainly by sowing, and can also be done by division or cuttings, mostly in spring and autumn, with a fairly high survival rate. Gazania has poor cold tolerance, so in winter it needs to be moved indoors or given insulation measures, and keeping the potting soil on the dry side is better for overwintering. Overall, it is quite friendly to beginners, and can still bloom smoothly even with rough management, making it an ideal choice for decorating balconies and courtyards.