Blanket Flower

I took a ton of pics last year at the nursery (experimenting with my camera and enjoying the beautiful blooms) and have been wanting to do something with them (make a book, do a weekly feature on the blog, frame some). I haven't done any of these, so instead of waiting for the pics to do something with themselves, I figured I should just get started with something. I hope to feature several of my favorite perennials and shrubs and share a few things about each one. Who knows, I may even learn a few things in the process. My hope was to have a weekly feature on the blog, but who am I kidding, I can't commit to that...nor could I come up with a clever name (suggestions welcome). Let's just get started, shall we?

I learned about so many perennials and shrubs last year, but Gaillardia (gay-lar-dia) or Blanket Flower was one that stuck out. I have one in the perennial bed next to my garden and really enjoyed it every time I was in my garden (which was a lot this year!).

Things to know: 1. Grows 24-36" tall 2. Blooms from summer to frost (and the blooms are so pretty!) 3. Can divide clumps every 2-3 years to prevent overcrowding (I need to do this with mine) 4. Full sun 5. Tolerates heat and drought

As you can see the blooms are red, gold, and maroon, perfect if you're a cyclone fan. But don't worry, even if you're a hawk you can enjoy this in your garden. ;)