Treasure flower

Treasure flower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, cushion-forming plant 20–25 cm tall and about 30 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow, lance-shaped or lobed; dark green above, silvery white and felted below.

Flower

Flower heads 5–8 cm across on short stems; open in sun, closed at night and in dull weather.

Colour

Orange, yellow, red, pink, cream and bronze, often with a dark ring and white spots at the base of the petals.

Flowering

From June to October, as long as it is sunny and warm.

Flowering: June–October · Sowing: February–April · Plants: May

Why grow it?

• Tireless flowering from June into October.
• Copes with heat and drought: ideal for a south-facing balcony, pots and a gravel garden.
• Bright, exotic colours with a striking eye at the centre.
• Bees visit the open flowers.
• Little work: little water and no feeding needed in the ground.

Treasure flower: where does it grow best?

• The sunniest spot in the garden: the flowers only open in full sun.
• Poor to average, free-draining sandy or loamy soil, acid to chalky.
• Dry: it dislikes wet feet.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart; in a pot or container about 20 cm.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Tolerates light frost (to -2 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: Grey leaves and purple spikes in the same dry, sunny spot.
• Biting stonecrop: A low, drought-tolerant carpet for the edge of a gravel garden.
• Feather grass: Fine, swaying stems among the bright flowers.
• Mealy sage: Blue spikes that make the orange and yellow glow.

Treasure flower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May.

1. Sow indoors in February–April at 18–20 °C; the seed usually germinates within one to two weeks.
2. Prick out the seedlings into small pots and keep them in good light and not too warm, so they stay compact.
3. Harden them off for a week in May and plant out after mid-May, when there is no more frost.
4. Plant at the same depth as in the pot, 25–30 cm apart.
5. In a pot: use compost mixed with some sand or grit, and a pot with a drainage hole.
6. Water after planting, then only when the soil is really dry.

Care

Water

Sparingly: only when the soil has dried out deeply. In a pot a little more often, but let the compost dry out between waterings.

Feeding

Not needed in the ground. In a pot, some liquid feed for flowering plants every three to four weeks.

Spent flowers

Remove them regularly, stem and all: this keeps the flowers coming.

Tidying

Remove yellow or rotting leaves at the base; this prevents fungal problems.

Tip: Plant it in the sunniest, driest spot, because the flowers only open in sunshine. Take a few cuttings in August: that way you will have new plants for free next year.

Treasure flower: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. You only remove faded flowers, from June to October.

How:

• Cut faded flowers off with their stems, as low as possible.
• Remove yellow or rotting leaves at the base.
• If you want to overwinter a plant, trim it back a little in autumn before potting it up and bringing it indoors.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow indoors in February–April at 18–20 °C, lightly covered, and prick out the seedlings into small pots.

Cuttings

In August–September: take cuttings from non-flowering side shoots at the base, root them in a mix of compost and sand, and overwinter them in good light and frost-free.

Treasure flower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it tolerates at most a light frost down to about −2 °C and will not survive a wet Belgian winter outdoors.
• You can pot up a plant in autumn and overwinter it in a light, cool, frost-free place at 5–10 °C, with very little water.
• Easier still: take cuttings in late summer, or sow afresh every year.

Diseases and pests

• Rot: Plants turn soft and brown at the base in wet soil or when overwatered. Plant in a dry spot and water less.
• Grey mould: Grey fluff on flowers and leaves in wet weather. Remove affected parts and give the plants more space.
• Aphids: On buds and young shoots. Spray them off with water; ladybirds help.
• Flowers stay closed: Too little sun. Move pots to a sunnier spot; in cloudy weather closed flowers are normal.
• Slugs: They eat young plants after planting out. Check in the evening.

Through the year

• February: Sow indoors at 18–20 °C.
• March: Sow and prick out.
• April: Last sowing. Keep young plants in good light and cool.
• May: Harden off and plant out after mid-May.
• June: First flowers. Water sparingly.
• July: Flowering. Remove faded flowers.
• August: Flowering. Take cuttings to overwinter.
• September: Flowering. Take cuttings; feed plants in pots.
• October: Last flowers. Pot up plants to overwinter indoors, or clear them away.
• December: Keep overwintered plants and cuttings cool and light, with hardly any water.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after Theodorus Gaza, a fifteenth-century Greek scholar who translated the botanical works of Theophrastus into Latin.
• The flowers open and close every day in response to light and temperature.
• In parts of Australia, gazania has escaped from gardens and become a troublesome weed.