THE REAL DIRT
Give the gift of Gerberas this Mother’s Day,
Go get some Gerberas.
Cut ones, that is. With Mother’s Day looming on May 12, I can think of no nicer gift for Mom than a bouquet of these dazzling flowers.
Gerberas look like our regular white garden daisies that have been dipped in dye. Their colours — reds, pinks, purples, yellows and oranges — are so brilliant, they can almost hurt your eyes. Yet how uplifting they look, arranged in a vase on the dining table during a dreary winter. It’s as if the hot African sun has found a way to come indoors and cheer us up.
There are now nearly a hundred varieties of Gerberas to choose from. (And by the way, folks, it’s pronounced with a hard G, not a soft one. Saying Jerbera will mark you as a bit of a rube). Plant breeders also keep coming up with more kinds. That’s because the once unsung Transvaal daisy (to use its common name) has become a titan in the cut flower market.
“We used to concentrate on roses in Ontario,” says Ralph DeBoer, operations manager of massive Rosa Flora greenhouses in Dunnville. “But we found we couldn’t compete any longer with cheap imports from South America. So we switched to Gerberas — and they’ve sort of taken over from roses. They’re a very trendy flower.”
So trendy, Rosa Flora now has 20 acres of greenhouses devoted solely to Gerberas. Other Niagara operations are producing loads, too. They come in both tall and shorter stemmed varieties, and get shipped all over Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Northeastern U.S. And here’s one plus for us: our proximity to the source means we can often buy them the day they’re picked.
So how do we stop Gerberas’ topheavy flowers from flopping over in a vase? “A few drops of bleach in the water,” says DeBoer. “And change the water every day. Also, clip a couple of inches off the stems. My Mom does that and hers last several weeks.”
I personally prefer the shorter Gerberas because they’re less prone to the droopies. You can also get them growing in pots, where the flowers stay upright, but don’t expect them to stick around for long. “To be frank, a potted Gerbera is an impulse gift purchase,” says Gerard Schouwenaar of Orchard Park Growers in St. Catharines. “They will last about six weeks indoors in medium light if they’re not overwatered. But it’s hard to get these Gerberas to rebloom in your home.”
However, Schouwenaar is ecstatic about a new line of Gerberas called Garvinea, which have tougher leaves than the current subtropicals we buy. Garvineas can be treated as perennials, and planted in our gardens. That’s great news. A few garden centres are already stocking them — but they won’t be widely available until next year.
Finally, a hot tip from Ralph DeBoer for Mother’s Day. “Moms seem to prefer Gerberas in reds and pinks,” he says with a chuckle. “Give her those and she’ll be very happy.” Sonia is reading from her award-winning book, The Untamed Garden, at the Elora Writers’ Festival on Sunday May 26. Tickets cost $20 and must be ordered in advance. Contact: folded.sky@gmail.com, soniaday.com