Gaillardia x grandiflora Arizona Sun

Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' is a perennial blanketflower with both early and long-lasting flowering. Its large scarlet-red inflorescences, edged with bright yellow, renew themselves from May to September, making it one of the best flowering plants for summer. Blooming against relatively dark green foliage, they are perfectly showcased in the garden, as well as in a pot. It is easy to cultivate, thriving in full sun, in well-drained soil, and once established, it copes well with heat or drought. Also very hardy, it can be planted almost anywhere.

The Blanketflower is a representative of the vast botanical family of Asteraceae, formerly known as Compositae. The "flowers" are in fact inflorescences composed of fertile flowers tightly packed in the centre and surrounded by sterile flowers on the periphery (often mistaken for petals). These inflorescences make it easy to identify members of the family, from Dimorphotheca to Bidens, including, of course, Asters. There are about thirty botanical species of Blanketflower, as well as a horticultural hybrid, Gaillardia × grandiflora. It originated from a cross-breeding between Gaillardia aristata, a robust perennial from the Great North American plains, and Gaillardia pulchella, a short-lived species native to northern Mexico and the south and centre of the United States. From this genetic mix, the plant retained the cold resistance and good longevity of the first, while inheriting the vigour, floral profusion, and hardiness of the second.
The variety ‘Arizona Sun’ develops rapidly into a dense clump approximately 30 cm in height and 40 cm in width. The hairy, lanceolate leaves are a medium to dark green, sometimes slightly greyish, semi-evergreen, depending on the climate. They are sessile, attached directly to the stems without a petiole. Their texture is somewhat rough to the touch. This fairly dense and matte vegetation serves as a setting for the brightly coloured inflorescences. Flowering begins early, from late spring, often several weeks before other blanketflowers. From May onwards, it has large, 6 to 7 cm in diameter heads, very attractive to pollinating insects. Their centre forms a prominent disc, initially bright yellow, gradually evolving towards purplish-red, then brownish hues as the seeds develop. The peripheral ligulate flowers (which resemble petals) are a brilliant scarlet red, accentuated by a fine, bright yellow edge on the perimeter, creating a vibrant contrast. The inflorescences renew regularly until September, more so if faded flowers are removed to facilitate the formation of new buds. The aerial part of the plant partially disappears during winter before regrowing vigorously in spring.

Despite their connotation as flowers of yesteryear, Blanketflowers retain their usefulness in today's gardens, subject to the vagaries of climate change. Few plants are, like them, capable of withstanding increasingly frequent and intense periods of heat while offering abundant flowering. Pair your Blanketflower 'Arizona Sun' with other summer champions like Gaura with airy, graceful flowers, which will lighten the more substantial appearance of the heads. White cultivars will be easier to integrate alongside the bright red. Charming Nepetas will add a touch of bluish height to your scene, amidst which you can happily integrate a few clumps of ornamental grasses for dry soil for their architectural and dynamic aspect, the slightest breath of air being enough to set them in motion.