Many people choose to grow Gerbera Daisies because of their gorgeous flowers. In order to make the most out of these plants and their beautiful blooms, you need to know how to combine colors and how to make your plants produce healthy flowers.

Gerbera Daisies have very vivid flowers in bright colors. These are very striking and memorable. However, it also means that they might be difficult to combine with other plants that have flowers of subtle colors. This can pose a problem when you wish to integrate your Gerbera Daisies into a flower bed with other plants.

How to Combine Gerbera Daisies with Other Plants

In order to avoid clashing of colors, it is best to combine Gerbera Daisies with only one other plant. If you really want to combine them with more than one plant, use a few plants at the most. This will prevent the overt clashing of colors and it won't make your flower bed look too "busy".

Gerbera Daisies seem to work the best with plants that have delicate flowers or gentle foliage. This is when they create a nice contrast but without clashing. Diascia and Calibrachoa seem to work great to combine with Gerbera Daisies. However, you need to make sure to choose flowers of complimentary colors.

If you really want to emphasize on the colors, you can combine your Gerbera Daisies with plants that have bold, vivid foliage. For example, yellow foliage plants look amazing next to Gerbera Daisies. Short grasses such as Hakonechloa macra "Aureola" or "All Gold" will look great next to Gerbera Daisies.

On the other hand, plants with small or delicate flowers will also look good when paired with Gerbera Daisies. For example, lobelia and sages have small and spiky flowers that go well with bold Gerbera Daisy blooms.

If nothing of this looks appealing to you, remember that you don't have to pair up your Gerbera Daisies with other plants. It is perfectly ok to grow them on their own. You can easily fill a large container or a whole flower bed with just Gerbera Daisies and enjoy their vivid flowers in bold colors.

Caring for Cut Flowers

Since flowers are the main reason people grow Gerbera Daisies, it is important to make sure that your plant produces gorgeous blooms. This requires some care, but fear not: it is actually very easy to make your Gerbera Daisy thrive and produce beautiful flowers.

One thing you need to remember is to cut Gerbera Daisies when the flowers are fully opened but the center is still tight. This is the best time to take flowers from your plant and the best moment to use them as cut flowers. This is when the stems will take up a lot of water if you provide them with it, which can prolong their life time.

However, keep in mind that too much water can be counter-productive. It may actually shorten their life time as cut flowers.

It is best to place cut flowers in about 1/2 to 1 in. of water. Add more only when necessary. Observe the stems: once they begin to discolor it is time to make a fresh cut.

Photo credit: Martin LaBar