Mini Revolution
Perk up your flowerbeds and patio this spring and summer with Revolution series gerbera daisies. Praised for its tight compact habit, reliable uniform growth and resilient dark green foliage, this outstanding new series blooms earlier than other cultivars and persists later into Louisiana summers, making it the perfect selection for container color and flowerbed fillers. For best results, begin planting in early to midspring to allow these daisies enough time to acclimate to our brutal summers. Though gerbera daisies often suffer heat stress from late July through September, autumn’s cool arrival offers a reprieve for this durable series when they bloom again from mid to late fall.
Revolution gerbera daisies bloom in assorted shades of pink, red, yellow, white and apricot, as well as the standard mix. Variations of the Revolution series to look for include Mega Revolution, Micro Revolution and Mini Revolution. Enliven patio tables, poolside planters and front porch containers with the cheerful smiles of gerbera daisies, and integrate them as fillers in flowerbeds with other spring and summer favorites. Mix Revolution Neon Rose, for instance, with spring-flowering osteospermum Akila Purple and Voltage Yellow, ‘PowWow White’ Echinacea and cherry red calibrachoa. Brighten beds by incorporating masses of Revolution Yellow gerbera daisies with blue plumbago, ‘Hot Lips’ Salvia microphylla, ‘Landmark Yellow’ lantana and amethyst-flowering Intenz celosia.
Mega Revolution
Revolution Golden Yellow
Revolution Rose Shades
Common Name: Transvaal daisy, gerbera daisy
Botanical Name: Gerbera jamesonii
Varieties/Cultivars to Look For: Mega Revolution, Micro Revolution, Mini Revolution, Revolution
Color: Vanilla, white, pink, apricot, yellow, scarlet, shadesof these colors and mixed
Blooming Period: Peak bloom is April through July, andagain October through early December
Type: Tender perennial
Size: 8-10 inches tall by 6 inches wide
Exposure: Sun
When to Plant: Early to midspring
How to Plant: Plant in containers for seasonal patio color, or group clusters with other warm-season bedding plants 1 foot apart.
Soil: Well drained, slightly acidic
Watering: As needed to prevent wilting; prone to wilting in summer.
When to Prune: Remove old faded flowers to extend blooming season.
When to Fertilize: At planting with a slow-release fertilizer, and again early to midsummer to encourage healthy late-season growth.
In Your Landscape: Let Revolution gerbera daisies take the spotlight in containers, or plant masses of single colors along walkways or edges.
(From Louisiana Gardener Volume XIV Issue I. Photos courtesy of Ball Horticultural.)
