A Guide to Planting Gaillardia
22.01.2024 - 21:21
/ backyardgardener.com
/ Frederick Leeth
Commemorating M. Gaillard de Marentonneau, a French patron of botany (Compositae). Blanket flower. A small genus of annuals and perennials, natives of America, with a long flowering period, useful for cut flowers. Somewhat untidy in habit, the long stalks fall about in wind and rain. Gaillardias need some twiggy stakes to help to keep the flowers clean and in full view.
Annual species cultivated
Perennial species cultivated
All garden varieties originate from G. aristata (syn. G. grandiflora) and comprise a great range of colour from pale primrose-yellow to crimson and bold orange, all flowering from June to October. Named cultivars include ‘Burgundy’, 2 feet, rich wine red with a narrow yellow frill along the outer edges of the petals; ‘Copper Beauty’, 2 feet, smaller flowers of orange-yellow suffused with brown; ‘Dazzler’, 2 feet, yellow with brown-red central zone; ‘Fire-bird’, 2 feet, a vigorous variety with flame-orange flowers; ‘Goblin’, 1 foot, dwarf, yellow with red zone; `Ipswich Beauty’, 2-3 feet, large deep yellow flowers touched with reddish-brown ; `Monarch Strain’, 2 feet, mixed colours; ‘Nana Nieski’, 1-1 1/2 feet, red and yellow flowers on shorter stems; `The Prince’, 2 feet, very large flowers up to 4 inches across, deep yellow tinged reddish-brown at the centre; `Tokaj’, 2 feet, wine-red and tangerine; `Wirral Flame’, 2 feet, a strong growing variety, tangerine flowers tipped yellow; `Yellow Queen’, 2 feet, golden-yellow.
Cultivation
A sunny border in a moderately light soil is ideal and the drainage should be good. The annual kinds are raised from seed sown in March in gentle heat and gradually hardened off and planted in the border in late May to flower for the remainder of the season.
Twiggy