For those of you who cannot wait for mid spring to see the first blooms of beautiful flowers in your gardens, the Gaillardia x grandiflora Arizona Apricot will be the perfect flower for you. This flower blooms wonderfully large and lush blossoms in a range of yellows, oranges, all the way to orange reds. However, the flowers themselves are extremely hardy and can adapt to a variety of conditions. Moreover, this flower is a very compact grower so it will not hog all the sunlight or space from the other plants in your garden. With large petals surrounding a central cone of orange and green, this flower will give you some of the most picturesque blooms you have ever seen. But this flower can flourish almost anywhere and is naturally resistant to both drought and cold snaps.

• Butterflies like a lot of sunlight, so locate your garden in a sunny area.
• If you live in a windy location, plant your butterfly-attracting plants near a building, fence, or hedge to protect them.
• Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.
• Since many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved, try to put in some that are native to your area. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center provides lists of plants native to states and regions.
• Certain colors are particularly attracting to butterflies – red, yellow, pink, purple, or orange blooms that are clustered or flat-topped, with a short flower tubes are especially attractive to adult butterflies.
• Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants.
• Provide a shallow source of water – try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl.
• Place a rock in a sunny spot for butterfly basking and resting.
• Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.
• If you want butterflies to breed in your garden, put in some caterpillar food plants, such as parsley, milkweeds, asters, thistles, violets, clover, grasses, and Queen Anne’s Lace.
• Since butterflies need nectar throughout the entire adult phase of their lives, try to create a design that will allow for a continuous bloom – when one stops blooming, another starts.

Gaillardia
Blanket Flower

Planting:

Set plants 12 to 15 inches apart. Choose a full sun location where the soil is of a light to medium character. A rich but light, well-drained soil is essential; gaillardias are not likely to survive the winter in heavy clay soils.

Maintenance:

Do not overwater. Periodic deadheading will encourage a lush blooming season and also prevent the occurrence of seedlings which are not true to type. Divide as needed to prevent overcrowding, every 2 to 3 years; and do so in the spring.

Zones:

Zones 3-9

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Since its founding in 1920, Wayside Gardens has brought the rarest and highest-quality plants to the garden market. Wayside was founded in 1920 by two acclaimed growers who came together to pursue their shared vision of marketing all high-end plants for the serious garden enthusiast. Originally located in Mentor, Ohio, Wayside Gardens swiftly grew a reputation for the highest-quality plants and the most sophisticated clientele. In 1975, Wayside was purchased by the Park Seed Company, and moved to Hodges, SC.  The company has flourished since then, growing to become an undisputed leader in rare and unique plant growing.

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