Many flowers only come out when the Sun is shinning like these Osteospurnum. As the day gets later or if it is cloudy and dark the petals close up again. Often these flowers attracted by the Sun are the most colourful and bright plants like Livingstone Daisies also called Mesembryanthemum (what a mouthful).

Helianthemum are called the ‘Sun Rose’ because they flower with brilliant colours during the height of the sun. Traditional Sunflowers with big yellow heads of flower and a dark centre do not close up at night but the head follows the sun moving during the day from facing East in the morning to facing West in the evening.

These strippy flowers from Africa are called Gazinia and flower through summer. Also called The Treasure Flower they have silvery-white leaves which makes the plant a pleasure to see, even out of flower. The bright blooms open in the sun and flower in a range of colours from creams and yellows, to oranges, reds and mauves.

This is another daisy like flower called Gerbera that, like the Sunflower, will stay open but likes a lot of Sun to flower well.

Other Resources

Royal Horticultural Society RHS ‘Gardening for All’
National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens ‘Conservation through Cultivation.’
Garden Organic National Charity for Organic Gardening.
BBC Gardening