The flower
How to tell if a Gerbera is fresh
A Gerbera flower head is made up of lots of small individual flowers (florets). The marginal ray florets determine the shape of the flower head. The heart of the Gerbera consists of disc florets. When the flower is fresh, the outermost 2 to 4 floral whorls of the disc florets are in bloom, with the pistils and stamens visible. If the pistils and stamens of more whorls are visible, the flower is less fresh.
What makes a Gerbera a ‘standard’ or ‘mini’?
Gerberas belong to the Asteraceae family and are subdivided into varieties with large flowers (standard Gerberas), small flowers (mini Gerberas) and specialties. If a Gerbera has a diameter of less than 9 cm at its narrowest point, it is a mini Gerbera. A standard Gerbera has a diameter of about 12.5 cm.
Vase life
If looked after properly, Gerberas have a vase life of about 2 weeks.
