Gazania ‘Orange’

Gazania 'Orange' (Gazania rigens 'Orange') is the groundcover for the strip of garden nothing else will hold: hot, dry, sandy and exposed. It makes a low mat about 25cm tall and 40cm wide, with silvery grey green foliage under bright orange daisy flowers that carry yellow through the centre. It flowers over a long season and asks very little once it is in.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground fast. Plants set at 30cm centres close over within a single warm season.
• Colour for months, not weeks. The orange flowers keep coming through the warm part of the year rather than arriving in one short flush.
• Genuinely hard to kill. Drought, heat and salt tolerant and content in poor soil, which is exactly what a nature strip or a coastal front garden demands.
• Low, so it never blocks a view. At 25cm it works along a driveway edge or under a window, and the open daisy flowers are easy forage for bees.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 30cm apart for a dense groundcover. The mats merge in one season and shade out most weeds, which is why it is used on batters and embankments.

Coastal gardens, rockeries and edging. Salt wind and sandy soil do not trouble it, the low mounding habit softens rock and gravel, and along a path it survives the heat thrown off concrete.

One honest note: gazanias have naturalised in parts of southern Australia. Keep plantings away from dunes and bushland edges, and remove spent flower heads to limit seed.

Growing Gazania 'Orange' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and nothing less. The flowers close in shade and on overcast days, and plants in part shade go leggy and stop flowering. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold districts treat it as a warm season plant.

Soil. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal, and poor soil is fine. Drainage is the only real requirement. On clay, plant on a raised bed, because gazanias rot in soil that stays wet through winter.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first month, then only in extended dry spells. Overwatering causes more losses than drought. A light controlled release fertiliser in early spring is plenty, since rich feeding gives leaves at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Shear the planting back by a third in late winter to remove old woody growth. Removing spent flowers through the season keeps the display going and reduces self seeding.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: a single tube and 140mm in a pack of 10. Tubes are small rooted plants and the value option for a large area, filling out over one warm season. The 140mm pack of 10 is the usual choice, because the plants are matched in size and already branching, which gives an even mat much sooner.

Gazanias travel well since the foliage is firm and low. Most customers order packs, since a lone gazania looks stranded and the whole point of this plant is a continuous mat. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Plant into warm soil and expect the first flowers within six to eight weeks, with our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing the right groundcover
• Browse the groundcover range
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Low maintenance plants for full sun

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

At 30cm spacing, about eleven plants per square metre gives dense cover in one season. Stretch to 40cm if you are happy to wait an extra season.

Why do the flowers close in the afternoon?

Gazania flowers open in bright sun and close at dusk, in shade and on dull days. It is normal behaviour, and the main reason this plant needs a genuinely sunny position.

How long will the planting last?

Three to five years before the centres go woody and thin. Shearing back each winter extends that considerably, and gaps are easy to replant from divisions or new tubes.