The Gaillardia is easily one of my favourite members of the Asteraceae family. It bodes well against such stiff competition from the gerberas and coreopsis family lines yet still keeps its own identity intact and forges on with new hybrids and cultivars.

Commonly referred to as the Blanket Flower it’s an apt description of its growing habit. This plant can easily spread to over 1m wide and, given space and time, can self-seed easily enough to continue its wandering. In effect, a carpet of spring flowers do blanket the garden in an incredibly stunning visual.

While it’s not a new plant to the garden, there have been a few cultivars that have bouyed it’s “trendy” status. When Gaillardia “Goblin” entered the scene it was one of the first compact hybrids sold as a dwarf variety and happily picked up by many home gardeners. The Gaillardia “Fanfare” was the next one that caught my attention, and many other gardeners as well, with petals that seemingly formed trumpets heralding in the arrival of summer.

The characteristic I think I like the most about gaillardias is their colour. The foliage is an almost “lawn” green reminiscent of the pictures that children draw when they try to depict plants. It’s deep and vibrant yet still seems soft enough to plunge your hand into expecting a comforting cushion to meet your advance.

The flowers, on the other hand, are fiery oranges, reds and yellows bobbing above this foliage as though they were clamouring for your individual attention. Every stage of the blossom is beautiful, from when it holds its lime green head up for the first time through to when it has unfurled its fury and blazes away in the summer garden.

Growing conditions of a Gaillardia

Like most cottage style plants, and the Asteraceae family in particular, the Gaillardia needs a well-drained soil and heaps of sunlight. They’re not partial to wet roots so clay soils can inhibit their growth.

Many are grown as annuals but if conditions in your area are right they can be grown as biennials and some cultivars can last perennially.

Fertilise your gaillardias at the start of their flowering season – end of spring to early summer – with a rich compost around the base of the plant. This can be topped up with some blood ‘n bone and foliar sprays of compost tea or worm wee during the flowering period will encourage the plant to keep blooming.

Deadheading during summer, though a very tedious affair, is also a great way to encourage more blooms and a longer flowering season.

Gaillardias are a fairly thirsty plant so if you want to restrain your watering patterns then make sure that the plant is well-mulched during summer.

Propagating Gaillardias

Gaillardias are a great self-seeder. Left to their own devices they can easily envelope any spare space you allow them to enjoy. They can then be harvested via division and grown as separate plants.

However, if your climate dictates that they must be grown as annuals then the the bets form of propagation is to collect the seeds and store until late winter. They are hardy enough to be sown directly into the ground but if you want an early start to the season can be raised as seedlings and then planted out.