After more than two decades, business is still booming for Andrew

With their bright colors and large blooms, gerbera flowers "simply make you happy" according to a Queensland grower of over 20 years.

Andrew Borthwick and his family are one of only three remaining gerbera growers on the Sunshine Coast.

They have up to 6,000 plants of 30 varieties in production in six colors of base and many intermediate shades.< /p>

M. Borthwick says the gerbera is a flower for all occasions.

Gerbera flowers come in six basic colors, all shades in between. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Annie Gaffney)

He says they are often purchased to cheer people up and let the event determine the Color.

"Valentine's Day, everyone wants red; on mother's day they all want pink and white," says Mr. Borthwick.

"Yellow is very nice, pastel colors are used when you don't want to lighten , you just want to say hello. '"

Mr Borthwick says gerberas are a member of the daisy family and native to South Africa.

some -some of the gerberas at her Sunshine Coast flower farm.(ABC Sunshine Coast: Annie Gaffney)

"I'm no expert on this, but I understand that they are known as the Barberton daisy, which came from Africa," he says.

'24/7 - like a dairy herd'

Mr Borthwick says the culture gerbera daisies is a full-time operation that requires ongoing commitment.

"When we started, we went to a gerbera grower meeting and there were about 50 or 60 people in the room, all looking for some sort of retirement income and quickly realized that it wasn't quite the kind of retirement package they had in mind," he said. there.

"There's quite a bit of work involved, you just can't go and leave your fa rm for a month and jump in the trailer.

"It's 24/7, kind of like a dairy herd. They have to be picked weekly, twice a week, they have to be...