Gerbera – strikingly beautiful and durable

Gerbera is one of our most loved cut flowers. There is probably not a florist who does not always have gerbera in their shop, often in many shapes and colors. There are several reasons to love the gerbera. Above all, it is strikingly beautiful, but it is also easy to care for and durable as a cut flower. Which means that it ends up on the top list of best-selling cut flowers worldwide, more precisely in 5th place.

a close up of an large, orange gerbera and a pair of cream colored roses

Take care of your gerberas

Gerbera as a cut flower is very durable if you take care of it properly. When you get home, give the flowers a fresh cut and put them in a vase with lukewarm water. Feel free to add flower nutrition. The flower is sensitive to bacteria, so it is especially important that the vase is completely clean. You should not place gerberas too hot or in full sunlight. They should also not be near fruit that secretes acid, which the flowers do not feel well. If the flowers start to fade, you should cut them back and place them in new water in a completely clean vase.

a pair of soft orange colored gerberas are standing in a vase with a top a kitchen counter beside the sink

Gerbera as a utility plant

Breeding has taken place continuously and a couple of decades ago they also managed to produce a species that is suitable as a pot plant. The challenge with that was to succeed in growing a more compact variety with significantly shorter stems, as the long stems tend to cause the flowers to nod if they are not supported. Recently, the focus on breeding has mainly been to produce a cut flower that lasts an extremely long time, up to 3 weeks. The greenhouses make it fully possible to adjust light and temperature so that gerbera can be grown all year round. Therefore, we can also always enjoy gerbera here at home.

a large bouquet in muted pink tones stands in the foreground. inthe background is a table set with plates, cutlery, and glasswear

Breeding gave gerbera as a houseplant

Breeding has taken place continuously and a couple of decades ago they also managed to produce a species that is suitable as a pot plant. The challenge with that was to succeed in growing a more compact variety with significantly shorter stems, as the long stems tend to cause the flowers to nod if they are not supported. Recently, the focus on breeding has mainly been to produce a cut flower that lasts an extremely long time, up to 3 weeks. The greenhouses make it fully possible to adjust light and temperature so that gerbera can be grown all year round. Therefore, we can also always enjoy gerbera here at home.

a large yellow gerbera is in the foreground. in the background are orange, pink, cerise, and red gerberas

500 shades of gerbera

Gerbera belongs to the family of basket-flowered plants. The flower is available in a multitude of colors and variants. There are around 200 varieties, and it's not just the colors that vary. There are smaller and larger ones, with double or single petals, ruffled or wider petals. There are also over 500 color shades in the spectrum of white, pink, yellow, orange and red. As well as gerberas which are beautifully multicolored.