Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera Daisy, Transvaal Daisy, African Daisy, Barberton Daisy, and Veldt Daisy these are a couple of names for our amazing Gerbera. These flowers are a firm favourite of many a young girl, not surprising when you see the amazing variety of colours they come in. They have a vase life of between 7 to 10 days and are available all year round. When purchasing Gerberas look for unbruised fully round heads with unblemished petals on long, straight, upright stems. They come in two sizes the normal Gerbera and a Mini Gerbera which is half the size and more than half the price. If you purchase Gerbera regularly it would be worth your while to cut a piece of chicken wire to fit the top of a bucket, the flower stems get cut under water and then suspended on the chicken wire into the water without touching the bottom of the bucket. This will ensure the stems are straight and eliminate the out dated idea of wiring the stems.  

The meaning of Gerbera flowers stem from those attributed to the general daisy family. These meanings include innocence and purity. Daisies are also a classic symbol of beauty however the Gerbera variety holds an added meaning of cheerfulness, which stems from the assortment of colours available.

Now for the hard part, growing Gerbera plants, considering they are native to Gauteng this should be easy. Your Gerbera Daisy plant flowers best when it is growing in a small container and is slightly pot bound. Repot growing Gerbera Daisies in April. Use an open, free draining soil mix. When re potting ensure that the crown of the plant is above the level of the soil. Rot will occur if the crowns are buried or the drainage is poor. After repotting keep them in a shaded location until they're established. The best position for growing Gerbera Daisies is in full sunlight to ensure maximum flower production. Keep your plant slightly moist at all times, especially when in bloom, but don't let the pot sit in water. In summer feed regularly every 2 weeks with a weak liquid fertilizer, and regularly pick off the dead flowers to promote further flowering. Indoor growing Gerbera Daisies can flower all year round. Also remove old leaves regularly to prevent fungus infections developing. I feel it only fair to mention I’ve tried all of the above and failed no Gerbera green fingers for me.

Have a happy flower week and remember “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “living my dream”

What is your flower heritage?

Heritage Day is one of our newly created public holidays. It’s a day in which all are encouraged to celebrate their culture and traditions in the wider context of the great diversity of cultures, beliefs, and traditions that make up the nation of South Africa. In 2005 after media campaign we generally refer to this holiday as national braai day. Never underestimate the power of advertising!

Seeing everyone in their cultural dress yesterday made me think of our diversity and our different backgrounds would effect our “flower heritage”. Protea are our national flower and although I now appreciate their beauty this was not always the case and they don’t feature in my flower culture. My earliest flower memory must be the “Yesterday Today and Tomorrow” in my grandmothers, Jessie’s front garden. Strange as it may seem she also lived on Queen Street in Kensington, three blocks from our shop. African Violet plants would also feature as her kitchen was never without one.

I also remember walking home from school and picking the Rthumaleln Creeper flowers taking them appart and sucking the sweet nector. My first introduction to cut flowers came from the” Biggie Best” store in Eastgate, they used to sell bunches of mixed flowers in buckets outside their store and I remember begging my mom to buy me one for my birthday. As a result every time I make a bunch of flowers with Cape Green and Statice my memory is tweaked and I have a smile on my face. I love these triggers that take you back to your past and ensure that you never forget. Mostly I enjoy the warm wave of love and appreciation that engulf you, even for a second.

Be mindful of the fact that you are creating these same memories for the little people in your life every time you interact with them. Teach them to appreciate the beauty of flowers and plants and you might be part of their “flower heritage”

Have a wonderful week and remember everything you do is important as you have exchanged one day of your life for it.

Written By Jackie West-Evans “Living My Dream” 

I want to start this week with a blog about gratitude.  After last week, which can only be described as “horrid” we are moving forward.  I will never understand why we have to be dealt so many challenges in a short time, instead of karma giving you one or two challenges a week. We glided into Secretaries Day week with relative ease, we are always prepared to work long hours and expect a hectic day. True to form the orders started to pour in on Tuesday and after finishing very late on Tuesday night we were good to go. At this point the details get a bit blurred, windows froze on my laptop, the backup didn’t work, our delivery van broke down, the laptop got hit by lightning , the vehicle took a day longer to fix than quoted and one of my precious staff member got arrested in error by a couple of over enthusiastic police officers. Yes this all took place in four days. Why you might ask am I filled with gratitude, well that’s easy, in time we will fix all of the above.  I started last week by watching an interview with Joost Van Der Westhuizen last Sunday night, and although not a fan due to his extra mural activities I was blown away by his positive attitude and fight for life in the face of real adversity. Life happens and although tough to understand at times it really is the way we respond to what happens that will determine our future.

This week we have a whole lot to be grateful for. My interview for the Small Business Awards in this morning at 8:45am, hold thumbs. I’m fully prepared; if I can talk about any subject at length it’s my business. I’m so passionate about our company and industry and have so many dreams that will be fulfilled in time. My only concern is that they have allocated us only 2 minutes with each of the 5 judges, how are they going to shut me up? Tuesday night is the gala dinner where the winner and two runners up will be announced. This whole experience has been invaluable to our business and has opened up so many opportunities going forward. It is wonderful to read all the comments our clients and friends have posted on the 702 website (only able to view from a smartphone) for this I am so grateful.

I hope your week is filled with many blessings I know for sure mine will be. Follow us on Facebook for a week of Gratitude.

Written by Jackie West-Evans owner of Country Flowers “Living My Dream”