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Recently a post came across my Facebook that read today is January the 74th and by George I agree and I want change. I need blanket flowers or gaillardias. Ok I know February is too early but let this servenotice, start sourcing the award-winning ‘Heat It Up Blanket Flowers’ for spring planting.
I’ve spent some wonderful years living in homes reminiscent of Little House on the prairie but my nice modern house I have now has made me feel more like Dr. Zhivago and in desperate need of a change of disposition. Concentrating on spring and planning for new blanket flowers is just what the Dr. ordered.
The last time I wrote about blanket flowers was early in the 2020 season. The Heat It Up Series was new and just beginning its second year of University Trial competition. As the season concluded both Heat it Up Yellow and Heat It Up Scarlet garnered dozens of awards. These are awards like Top Performers at North Carolina State, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Cornell and Perfect Score all Season Oregon State University. If you did not jump on the bandwagon then make this the spring you go full in. A six pack will just not quench the thirst or bring the joy that a mass planting will accomplish.
My junior high years I lived in Central Texas where giant granite outcroppings surrounded by bluebonnets, paintbrush and blanket flowers were rites of passage each spring. If you are like me, you may think there is nothing prettier than a blanket flower in bloom and you would be right, but only until you see the blooms with bees or swallowtail butterflies. This is like a cause of joy and celebration.
When I was director of the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas we planted gaillardias as part of a wildflower refuge in the front of the visitor center. Sure, we did this for beautiful color but we did this to bring in pollinators. It will work just like that at your house too.
Gaillardias are native to 38 states and the Heat It Up Series has proven itself with awards across the country pretty much ensuring your success with beauty and pollinators. Even though it is February, now is a good time to start sourcing your plants for spring. Heat it Up Yellow and Heat it Up Scarlet may very well give you a spring return in Zones 8 and warmer but to be honest you can’t beat the value when growing them as an annual.
The pollinators will love you, well maybe it’s the flowers they’ll love most. Plant in full sun in fertile well-drained soil. This need not be luxurious soil, just not boggy. They will reach 24-inches tall with a spread of 36 inches, so plan on spacing 12 to 24 inches. You do not have to deadhead old blossoms. Once the petals fall you are left with a yellow globe that almost resembles a gomphrena.
Like the display Mother Nature gives you at the roadside or in meadows, note it is massing that catches your eye. One here and one there will be no match for planting a flat of these star performers. Heat It Up Yellow and Heat It Up Scarlet combine wonderfully in an analogous color scheme but combined Unplugged So Blue salvia is a look that will take your breath away. Follow me on Facebook @ NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.
