Here they do best with afternoon shade. Their heat tolerance is iffy.

Watering is tricky - they aren't as drought tolerant as some think, they rot easily if the drainage is not good, and you have to make sure they aren't planted too deep because the crowns rot quickly when they get wet.

Here is a link that might be useful: gerberas at desert tropicals

Thank you lazygardens!

I've overwintered my gerberas for 3 seasons here in Tucson. I planted 3 or 4 plants in 2 shallow 12" bowls filled with well-draining potting soil. Somehow I've managed to acclimate them to full sun, but they do require daily watering from mid April thru September. I have also utilized the same method for gazenias.

Ronald French, that's great you have successfully overwintered them. I'm trying this again, 10 years(!) later, to "oversummer" one plant here in the Phoenix area. So far it's looking pretty good planted on the north side of a wall in a pretty sandy soil with some shade. We've had some very hot days, and more to come I'm sure. But I'm keeping it watered, shaded and mulched.

I actually also have some cardboard placed on the ground around the plant, which I removed so the picture would look better :)