Gaillardia

Botanical/Latin
   Gaillardia

Pronunciation
   gay-lard-ee-ah

Common Name
   Blanketflower

Hardiness zone range
   3 - 9

General Comments
Gaillardias are spectacular perennials with exotic, daisy-like flowers carried above low, leafy mounds of soft, green leaves. The flowers are usually bi-colored in rich, warm shades of red and yellow. They produce a riot of color in summer, usually from June to September.

Uses
They are terrific in bright, sunny spots such as raised beds, sloping banks, rockeries, in beds at the base of sunny walls, or towards the front of perennial beds where the dazzling summer colors and compact habit can be used to maximum effect.

On warm summer days, butterflies swarm to the open flowers, creating an even more spectacular show.

They can be cut and brought indoors as fresh flowers, and the central discs can be stripped of the petals and used in dried arrangements.

Light Preference
Full sun

Culture
They grow best in locations with light, sandy, open soils. Sharply drained conditions are important, as they tend to be short lived in heavier clay soils. The soil can be amended at planting time by adding grit or sand and, perhaps, planting them a little higher to raise the crown and help them avoid winter wetness.

Consideration should also be given to incorporating some extra organic matter (peat, leaf mold, etc.); this opens the soil, improves the structure, and encourages worms. Be careful, however, not to make the conditions too fertile, since they tend to become "leafy" and lose their compact habit when grown in rich conditions.

They respond well to trimming; if they become a little "tatty", they can be trimmed back to keep them neat and compact. This can either be a light trim, just taking off the old flower heads, or cutting them back to about six inches above the crown. They quickly regenerate and it helps to keep them bushy, and encourages repeat bloom and extended life.

Background
Gaillardia x grandiflorum cultivars are vigorous, easy to grow plants that are derived from two native American species. Like many garden plants, they were collected from different regions and then developed in breeding programs abroad.

Gaillardia pulchella is an annual species, with mainly reddish flowers, that was discovered and introduced from the eastern states in 1787 by a botanical explorer called Fougeroux. It was recognized as a new genus and named after a French magistrate and botanical patron, Mons. Gaillard de Charentonneau.

The other species (Gaillardia aristata) is a perennial with yellow flowers that was introduced from the western states in 1814 by the German botanist Frederick Pursh. It had been collected some years earlier during the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark. Seeds were sent to Pursh in Philadelphia and entrusted in his care. When the news broke that Lewis had apparently committed suicide, Pursh set sail for England, taking the seeds with him. They were distributed to other European botanical gardens and, in 1857, a hybrid occurred in Belgium that combined the fast-growing and continuous flowering characteristics of the annual species with the hardiness and perennial nature of G. aristata. This was the creation of the hybrid origin of the named cultivars we grow in our gardens today.

The common name, Blanketflower, comes from the decorated blankets woven in the southwestern states by native American women inspired by the colorful, native flowers.

Splendor Suggestions
Consider planting some near a patio, outdoor dining area, or sun-bathing spot. The brightly colored flowers have warm, earthy tones that conjure up images and the atmosphere of sun-drenched, southern states, perhaps even Mexico, Spain, or Tuscany.

Companion Plants
The multi-colored flowers go well with Heleniums like `Kugelsonne', `Zimbelstern' or `Riverton Beauty'. Coreopsis (Tickseed) makes good partners, too; cultivars like `Early Sunrise', `Zagreb' or `Moonbeam' blend nicely and love the same growing conditions. The fluffy flowers of white Baby's Breath, Gypsophila, give a nice, light texture to the broad, daisy-shaped flowers. For total contrast, try them with the erect, architectural shape of grasses or the many forms and colors of Hemerocallis. Rudbeckias, Artemisias, Achilleas, and Sedums are also possibilities.