Gazania ‘Pink’

Pink Gazania (Gazania rigens 'Pink') is the groundcover for the hot, dry, hopeless strip: the nature strip, the driveway edge, the sandy bank that bakes all afternoon. It sits about 25cm high and spreads to 40cm, throwing soft pink daisies over silvery green foliage from spring right through to autumn. Very few plants flower this hard on this little water.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers for months. Waves of pink daisies from spring into autumn, with the heaviest flush through the warm weather.
• Heat, salt and poor soil are no problem. Coastal sand, gravel, compacted clay edges and full afternoon sun all suit it.
• It covers ground quickly. Planted 30cm apart it closes into a mat in a single warm season.
• Bees and butterflies work it. The open daisy shape is easy for pollinators, which matters in a front garden or verge planting.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 30cm apart. On a slope or a verge this is the fastest honest way to replace lawn you no longer want to mow, and the roots hold light soil in place.

Rockeries and hot edges. It sprawls over rock and paving edges without swamping neighbouring plants, and the sharp drainage of a rockery is exactly what it wants.

Coastal gardens and borders. Salt spray does not mark the foliage, so it works on exposed beachside blocks and along paths where reflected heat kills softer plants.

Growing Pink Gazania in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and this is not negotiable: the flowers close in shade and on overcast days. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in hard frosting districts treat it as a warm season performer that may look rough by late winter.

Soil. Free draining and on the lean side. Sand, gravel and rocky ground are ideal. Heavy wet clay is the one thing that will kill it, so raise the bed or add coarse sand and gypsum before planting.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first six weeks, then step back. Established plants need water only in a long dry spell. Skip rich fertiliser, which gives leaf at the expense of flowers; a light application of a low phosphorus native blend in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Shear the whole planting back by about a third after the main flush to keep it dense and stop the centres going woody. Clumps are usually best replaced or divided after three or four years.

What to expect when it arrives

Gazania is grown here as tube stock and as 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are small, often a rosette of leaves and little else, and they are the sensible buy for a large area. The 140mm packs give you a plant that spreads noticeably within weeks.

Both travel well because the foliage is tough and low. Plant into warm soil, water in, and expect the first flowers within six to eight weeks in the growing season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to choosing groundcover plants
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Compare rockery and dry bank plants
• Growing seaside daisy, a similar tough spreader

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 30cm spacing you need about eleven plants per square metre. A pack of ten 140mm plants covers close to a square metre of dense cover.

Why are the flowers shut?

Gazania daisies close in low light and open in sun, so they shut on cloudy days, in the late afternoon and in any shaded position. If yours never open, the spot is too dark.

How long does a planting last?

Expect three to four strong years before the centres thin and go woody. Shearing after flowering stretches that out, and the easiest renewal is to lift, divide and replant the strongest pieces.