Gaylardia is a plant of the Astrov family. The birthplace of this flower is America. In the wild, grows in Mexico and the southern United States. Named after Gaillard de Charenton, a philanthropist who lived in the eighteenth century and made a great contribution to the development of botany.
This plant is a symbol of Oklahoma. It grows in open areas and during flowering stains the fields in a bright fiery color.
Description of Gaillardia
Cultivate both annual varieties and perennial. Externally, these flowers resemble chamomile or gerbera. Height reaches 60 centimeters. Inflorescences are large, terry, saturated warm shades.
It is widely used in landscape design in the design of gardens and home gardens.
Types and varieties of perennial and annual gaillardia: spinous and others
Both perennial and annual species and varieties of gaillardia are popular:
| Kinds | Description | Varieties | Description |
| Beautiful | Annual A decorative garden plant with one-color or two-color inflorescences - red at the base and yellow at the edges of the petal. | Red plume | Small flowers are deep red-pink. |
| Lorenza | Inflorescences are large, with many petals. There are yellow and yellow-red varieties. | ||
| Picta painted | Red or two-color inflorescences, large, spherical, with a large number of petals. | ||
| Yellow plume | Spherical plants with yellow inflorescences, similar to the previous variety. | ||
| Toothed | Up to 70 centimeters high, with red-brown flowers. It is rare. | ||
| Spinous | Perennial with dense straight stems, elongated or oval leaves. Reed flowers, saturated warm shades. Flowering begins in early summer. | Mandarin | A variety of flower and bright red-orange inflorescences. |
| Virral Flame | Red flowers with a thin yellowish border. | ||
| Dazzer | Two-color reed variety. | ||
| Hybrid | The result of mixing with other types of colors. Depending on the variety, there are both high (up to 80 cm) and undersized. | Primavera | Low, bushy plants with a large number of peduncles in one seedling. |
| Arizona San | Dwarf variety with a long flowering period. | ||
| Sonne | Stem height up to 50-60 centimeters, inflorescences with tubular and reed petals are found. |
Gailardia cultivation from seeds when to plant
Growing from seeds occurs in two ways: seedlings or sowing directly into the soil.
The first method is divided into two stages: preparing seedlings and planting seedlings in the ground.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Landing is carried out in late February or early March. Seeds are not buried, but spread on the surface of the soil and left in a bright room at room temperature.
A container with seedlings is placed in a place protected from exposure to sunlight. Watered with a small amount of water as needed.
Gailardia gives the first shoots one to two weeks after planting.
Seedling Care
After germination of the seedlings, the container with seedlings is moved to the colder part of the room or to the greenhouse. The sprouts are separated from each other and placed in small containers when the third leaf appears.
Young plants are watered as the substrate dries. Sprouts must be in the light for at least 14 hours a day - you will need to install lamps to create the necessary lighting. Humidity in a room with shoots should be kept moderate.
Gailardia planting in open ground
Planting gaillardia does not cause great difficulties, but you need to follow small recommendations regarding the timing of planting, location and soil.
Landing time
Reinforced sprouts are planted in the ground in late summer or September. With proper planting, the seedlings will have time to take root before the onset of frost and give eight to ten confident leaves. The plant will bloom next spring.
If you sow flowers immediately in the ground, without first growing seedlings, then the right time for sowing is the end of spring. Seeds are planted in beds in shallow holes, and when the sprouts get stronger and give a third leaf, they are transplanted into a flower bed.
Disembarkation Rules
Light areas and dry soil are suitable for this plant. The flower does not take root well in the soil, saturated with moisture. Soil before planting seedlings is fertilized with a mineral mixture. The concentration of the substance should be low - not more than 40 grams per 1 liter of water. Also, the soil is fertilized with ash. The distance between the seedlings should be at least 20 cm.
Features of caring for gaillardia
Caring for these plants is not difficult.
Care Tips
To obtain healthy inflorescences, observe a few simple rules:
- Mineral fertilizers are used to feed gailardia.
- The soil is fertilized three times during the season: at the beginning of flowering, in the middle of summer and after the plant fades.
- Regularly loosen and weed the flower bed. It is watered with a small amount of water and only in hot and dry weather, when the soil becomes dry.
- High grades of perennial need garter.
Top dressing
Mineral complexes such as Kemira station wagon are used to feed plants. Compost and humus can also be used as fertilizers.
The main rule is that fertilizers should not increase the acidity of the soil. The use of manure can lead to the development of diseases and death of the plant.
Gaillardia after flowering
Gailardia blooms until the end of September. In October, seeds can be obtained from not removed peduncles.
How and when to collect gailardia seeds
To collect seeds, the flowers wilted in the summer are tied with tightly fixed gauze - this prevents the unwanted fall of seeds into the soil. Under gauze, inflorescences are left until the beginning of autumn, and then they are harvested. Seed that has naturally fallen into the ground can also escape with the onset of spring, so many gardeners do not resort to manual harvesting.
The seed method of propagation of gaillardia is not popular. Plants grown by this method will differ from the mother and will not meet the standards of the variety. To preserve the appearance of inflorescences, perennial varieties are planted using the bush method.
Perennial gailardia in winter
In the first year before the onset of frost, the flowers are trimmed to ground level. Then they are covered with a layer of dry foliage, needles or other natural insulation.
Further preparation in wintering does not require additional measures - flowers winters successfully, they easily tolerate cold. Shelter will be needed only in the event of a warm, snowless winter.
Gaillardia propagation
Perennial varieties are propagated by the bush method. A strong and healthy bush, growing in one place for five years, is dug up and divided into two or three parts. Each of the processes should be strong, with strong leaves, able to take root in a new garden. The division is carried out at the end of the season, when the plant has completely faded. All parts are planted on new flower beds.
The root method of reproduction is also possible. Large roots of a healthy plant are cut into pieces 5 cm long, and then planted in a greenhouse.
Gailardia pests and diseases
The main cause of disease is an improper irrigation regime and excessively moist soil. The leaves of these flowers are susceptible to diseases such as:
- gray rot;
- rust;
- powdery mildew;
- spotty rashes.
Similar diseases are caused by fungi. In the initial stages, the plant can be cured with the help of fungicides (Fundazol, Skor). If the lesion area is large, it is recommended to dig and burn a diseased flower to prevent the spread of fungus throughout the flower bed. For prevention purposes, healthy flowers are treated with a potassium permanganate solution.
The pests most often damaging crops are aphids and whiteflies. Against them, the treatment of flower beds with insecticides (Aktara, Aktellik) will help.
