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| Gaillardia “Goblin” in my perennial garden |
Last night I retreated with a stack of gardening catalogs and gave myself permission to dream for a while. As the last of the sleet rattled the windows, I sipped hot chamomile tea and paged every so slowly through the catalogs. White Flower Farm, Burpee seed catalog, Spring Hill, Jung garden seeds, Dutch Garden summer bulbs….
I’d promised myself that this year, I will focus only on flower varieties that are inexpensive and tough as nails. Last year I lost a lot of the seeds I planted due to the drought. My garden hose doesn’t reach all the way into the flower garden and I’m constantly running a watering can up and down the garden, back and forth, to keep tender plants alive. My experiment last year was with Cherry Brandy Echinacea, and four plants survived thanks to my daily watering can expeditions; but I really don’t want to repeat that next year!
So with that thought in mind I began thinking about what varieties thrive in that sunny, hot space next to the driveway. Gaillardia
When I searched for seeds, I came to Swallowtail Garden Seeds. Of course! They attract butterflies, and Swallowtail Garden Seeds is the best source I know of for flower seeds for butterfly gardens.
My Gaillardia plants are so tough that they reseed throughout the hottest part of the summer…in the gravel of the driveway. Under the gravel are ballast stones (bigger rocks) over hard packed, dead clay soil. Yet the gaillardia seeds itself and develops into mature plants there and even flowers. We try to transplant them from the driveway to other parts of the garden.
The Gaillardia plants I have now are Gaillardia “Goblin”, purchased as part of the sunny perennial kits from Spring Hill Gardens which form the backbone of my flower beds. Looking over the Swallowtail site, there are many other pretty varieties I can add to fill in the gaps in the flower garden. I’m intrigued by the deep burgundy and red-orange flowers and am already planning to purchase some seeds.
Deer resistant, heat and drought tolerant, flowers throughout the season and reseeds freely, attracts bees and butterflies….that’s my kind of plant. This is one I am going to add to my garden!
What is your favorite “no kill, tough as nails” flower?
This is one plant I admire so much but cannot grow-not enough sun. You are so lucky to grow it and smart too with all these droughts. Won’t be long and you’ll be out there planting!