I saw this photo on Flickr and it captured my attention.

Gerberas are a mainstay of the floral market now ranking fifth most used flower worldwide. Gerbera are lovely flowers which lend themselves to festive arrangements. Gerbera are wonderful, affordable, long lasting flowers that come in a huge range of colors and styles.

Large, disc-shaped flowers carried atop long, fuzzy, leafless stems are hallmarks of the gerbera, a bloom native to South Africa and Asia, now cultivated by tissue culture. The Dutch have perfected tissue culture production and distribution and now nearly all Gerbera, including those out of South America have their beginnings in the Netherlands.

Gerbera are members of the Asteraceae family which are actually composites of many smaller flowers collected into a head. The Asteraceae family is a huge family of over 1000 genera including cousins Sunflower, Calendula and Cosmos. These flowers are available in many colors, with light- or dark-colored centers, and in standard or micro sizes.

Vase Life
With proper care, gerberas can enjoy a vase life of up to 14 days.

Care and Handling
As will all cut flowers, longevity will be increased with proper care. Start with a sanitized container and knife to minimize the transfer and growth of bacteria. As Gerberas are particularly sensitive to fluoride, use nonfluoridated water when processing gerberas. Cut gerberas' stems under water before placing them in a clean container holding a properly prepared fresh flower-food solution.

Design Uses
Gerberas are wonderful, festive flowers. The "daisy form" reminds us of the late 60's but the flowers now enjoy many color and form variations that lend themselves to a wide variety of design uses.