566 



GAILLARDIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



GAILLARDIA. 



species, and when in flower is very hand- 

 some. There is a variegated-leaved 

 form. 



F. Sieboldi is the most ornamental of 

 the species. It is 1 8 in. to 3 ft. high, and 

 has large glaucous leaves, somewhat 

 heart-shaped, often over i ft. across. The 

 flowers are in tall one-sided racemes well 

 above the foliage, and are a creamy-lilac. 

 There is an interesting variety with yellow- 

 margined foliage. Admirable in tasteful 

 hands for picturesque groups or massive 

 edgings. 



GAILLARDIA (Blanket Flower}. 

 Handsome perennial and biennial herbs 

 including some of the showiest flowers, 

 valuable for their long duration both 

 on the plants and in a cut state. The 

 genus numbers some half-a-dozen species 

 from N. America, and many garden varie- 

 ties. The numerous kinds now in gardens 

 appear to fall under three species, but 

 there is a strong family likeness through- 

 out the series. The kinds are 



G. aristata, a perennial, I to \\ ft. 

 high, with narrow leaves, sometimes 

 deeply cut. The flowers are \\ to 4 in. 

 across, the ray florets having an outer 

 zone of orange-yellow and an inner one of 

 brownish-red, while the centre is deep 

 bluish-purple. It is the commonest kind, 

 and having been raised largely from 

 seed, has many varieties, differing more or 

 less widely from the type, with various 

 names. G. picta somewhat resembles G. 

 aristata, but has smaller flowers, and is a 

 biennial. It is dwarfer, and its flowers are 

 brighter. G. amblyodon is a beautiful 

 Texan annual, introduced a few years ago. 

 Its flowers are even smaller than those of 

 G. picta, and are of a deep cinnabar red. 

 On strong plants they are borne plenti- 

 fully towards the close of the summer for 

 several weeks. G. pulchella is the oldest 

 form cultivated, and was introduced about 

 a century ago. It is I to \\ ft. high, and 

 bears bright yellow and purplish -red 

 flowers, 2 in. across. An annual. G. bi- 

 color and pinnatifida are seldom seen in 

 gardens, probably owing to their being 

 somewhat tender. The garden varieties, 

 as has been stated, are numerous, but the 

 most distinct of those named are 



G. grandiflora, said to be a hybrid, 

 presumably between G. picta and G. 

 aristata. It is a beautiful and vigorous 

 plant with large brightly-coloured flowers, 

 which are only surpassed by its variety 

 maxima. It is by far the finest of all. 



G. hybrida is another garden cross, 

 much resembling G. grandiflora ; the 

 variety splendens has brighter flowers. 



G. Telemachi, Drummondi, Loiselli, 

 and Bosselari appear to be synonymous 

 with some of the preceding, and G. 

 Richardsoni scarcely differs from them. 



All thrive in good friable garden soil 

 but not on a cold stiff soil or on one that is 

 too light or dry. Where possible they 

 should be grown in bold groups, for they 

 thrive better if so placed than as solitary 

 plants in a parched border, and no plants 

 have a finer effect in a bed by themselves. 

 Where apt to die in winter, they may be 

 used in mixed borders, if treated as half- 

 hardy annuals ; for if sown in a mild hotbed 

 at the end of February or the beginning 

 of March, they may be grown into good 

 plants, and give a full display of their fine 

 flower-heads as early as those that have 

 withstood the winter in the borders. It is 

 well to note that these in many soils are 

 not nearly so hardy or enduring as many 

 of the perennials we have from N. Amer- 

 ica, and therefore cannot in cold soils be 

 depended on. 



The culture of the perennial Gaillardia is 

 not beset with difficulties, and the plant is 

 seen best in bold groups, rather than small 

 clumps here and there in the border. If 

 established plants in pots are obtained in 

 April and put out in the places they are 

 to occupy about 2 ft. apart each way, a 

 good bloom may be expected the same 

 season if the soil is well dug and mixed 

 with well-decayed manure. Mr. W. Kel- 

 way, of Langport, Somerset, in a note to 

 The Garden on January 27, 1887, mentions 

 that a collection planted in this manner 

 bore the drought of the last five years 

 better than any other herbaceous peren- 

 nial grown at Langport, and stood the 

 winter so well that not 3 per cent, suffered. 

 Some commend the Gaillardia for bedding, 

 though it is seldom grown in this way, 

 but a pretty effect is obtained when plants 

 of one distinct variety, or shades of the 

 same colour, are put about i ft. apart with 

 the stems pegged down. The situation, 

 however, where the Gaillardias remain out 

 winter after winter must be warm, the soil 

 not too heavy, but light and dry. In very 

 cold and wet seasons in Midland counties 

 the plants often succumb ; but it is very 

 easy in the autumn to strike cuttings, 

 which may be taken off and treated 

 similarly to the Pelargonium, or seeds 

 raised in March, and the plants hardened 

 off before putting out, will also give a 

 quick return in the shape of flowers. In- 

 creased by cuttings in autumn or spring, 

 and division in spring. 



Species of Gaillardia acaulis, N. Amer. am- 

 blyodon, Texas, aristata, N. Amer. arizom'ca, 

 Arizona. cotnosa, Mexico, -lanceolata, N. 



