# Gazania Pruning
Desert gardeners value the gazania for the incredibly bright flowers that bloom in the heat of summer when very few others do. Yellow, orange and maroon daisylike blooms sit atop clumps of plants that grow to 8 inches in height. A popular ground cover, gazania not only tolerates desert heat, it is drought tolerant as well. Gazania's flowers close at night or on cloudy days, a process known as nyctinasty. Gazania experiences a certain amount of dieback during the season, so prune it away after the fall bloom or in spring.
Things You'll Need
- Gloves
- Pruning shears
- Shovel
Instructions
-
-
1
Deadhead the plant periodically throughout the blooming season. Not only does this encourage the gazania to produce new blooms, but it makes it easier to prune the plant later on. Gazania flowers have a tendency to get rather spiky when they dry up, making it painful if they poke your fingers.
-
2
Prune the gazania in late fall. Snip off dead leaves and stems and any flowers left from the previous season. Bag and remove the pruning debris from the bed.
-
3
Divide a large gazania plant by digging it up and driving a shovel through the root ball. Replant both sections quickly to avoid having the roots dry out. Divide the plant in fall, every three to five years.
-
1
Groundcovers & Vines
