I recently purchased a mix of colors for these plants from a nursery. I find them more Hardy than gerbera daisies but like them once it gets cold here they die. I was wondering if I collect seed how long it takes from planting to flowering, and how to grow from seed what does seed look like. I was mixing pollen from different flowers. Also, can these make a good houseplant or not?

Keith, I've started Gazania from seed the last two springs (well, this spring the self-sown seed came up on its own).

It takes about 2 months from germination to the first bloom here. You'd have to start them indoors to get a full season of bloom out of them.

I brought home a couple of seed heads from the plants at the school garden on Tuesday:

dyzzypyxxy said:Keith, I've started Gazania from seed the last two springs (well, this spring the self-sown seed came up on its own).

It takes about 2 months from germination to the first bloom here. You'd have to start them indoors to get a full season of bloom out of them.

I brought home a couple of seed heads from the plants at the school garden on Tuesday:

Thanks, some are setting seed and I wanted to start seed outdoors and by July they would bloom but I read they need darkness to germinate?

Mine fell on the ground and germinated just fine. I didn't cover them or water them or fuss 'em at all.

dyzzypyxxy said:Mine fell on the ground and germinated just fine. I didn't cover them or water them or fuss 'em at all.

Do they make good houseplants?

No idea, Keith. I don't do houseplants. But anything that needs full sun to bloom will probably be really leggy and ugly if you kept it indoors over winter without lots of supplemental light.

Most people up north grow them as annuals and start them new from seed each spring or buy transplants. Down here they are somewhat perennial, lasting about 3 years if we don't have any frost.

I tried hybridizing these and growing from seed and was surprised at how quick and easy they grew! Since I didn't fuss on the color most hybrids came out the color of these but they grow so well they are one of my new favorite flowers 🙂