Gaillardia pinnatifida

Gaillardia, or blanketflower, is an easy-to-grow perennial plant that resists drought well. Appreciated for its long and generous bright flowering, it finds its place in all gardens, in a border or a sunny rock garden. It is covered, all summer long, with large flowers resembling sunflowers, yellow with a brown-red centre.

From the Asteraceae family, Gaillardia pinnatifida is found naturally in northern Mexico and in the central-south and southwest of the United States. This perennial plant forms a clump about 40 cm (16in) high at the base of which one can discover a rosette of deciduous leaves, green-grey, villous and finely divided. But it is especially the flower heads that illuminate the garden all summer. Approximately 5 cm (2in) in diameter, they consist of a brown-red central dome surrounded by yellow ligulate flowers. These resemble petals with 3 deeply divided lobes. Carried on a floral stem taller than the foliage, they resemble daisies. They also make excellent cut flowers!

The blanketflower is truly an easy-to-grow perennial plant that resists both drought and cold. It enjoys the sun and well-drained soils. If your soil is alkaline, this blanketflower will be a boon for your borders. The wind can cause the floral stems to collapse under the weight of the flowers. If necessary, consider staking the floral spikes.

This perennial will find its place in a border associated with other drought-tolerant plants like lavender, perennial geraniums, or the grass Stipa tenuifolia, which will bring striking design and modernity to your garden composition.