Gaillardia grandiflora Burgunder

The Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Burgunder' or blanket flower offers endless flowering from June to October, drawing resources even from the poorest soils to provide the never-ending spectacle of its intensely deep red flowers around a yellow and red centre, resembling large daisies. It forms beautiful clumps of stems and fuzzy grey-green foliage, reaching 60 cm (24in) in all directions. This short-lived perennial has a strong constitution, tolerating cold, heat, and drought, but it fears humidity, its only weakness. It belongs to those almost foolproof perennials that find their place in all gardens, regardless of their style!

Gaillardia x grandiflora has been created by combining two plants called Gaillardia aristata and Gaillardia pulchella. This hybrid plant has inherited some of the positive traits of its parents, like hardiness, longevity, and floribundity. 'Burgunder' is one of the popular varieties of this plant, which can grow up to 60cm in all directions and produce large red flowers with a yellow centre. The plant's foliage is mainly basal and has narrow and slightly lobed or deeply cut, greenish-grey, and fuzzy leaves.

Although gaillardias are a bit outdated, they are still known for their abundant florals and can be a great addition to gardens in milder climates, especially in mediocre soils. However, they are not tolerant of high humidity, even in well-drained soil, requiring a specific environment. They can be paired with other undemanding and floriferous plants like lavenders, perennial geraniums of blood-red or ash-grey colour, artemisias, and grasses.