With the blanket flower (Gallardia) you get an extremely floriferous and attractive perennial in the flower bed. It not only blooms continuously from June to October, but is also a very durable cut flower. If you want to border a perennial bed with a living fence of brightly colored blanket flowers, you need a lot of perennials, which are not exactly cheap in stores. With our seed tips, however, self-breeding succeeds without any problems.
The blanket flower can easily be sown directly into the bed
Prefer Gallardia
The right time for sowing is March. By the time the ice saints come, the little plants will be big enough to be transplanted directly into the field.
- Fill small growing pots with special growing soil and press them firmly.
- Gallardia needs light to germinate, so do not cover the seed with soil.
- Moisten well with a sprayer.
- Cover with a hood or clear plastic bag for a greenhouse climate.
- Air daily to prevent mold and rot.
- Keep evenly moist but do not soak completely.
Under these conditions, the blanket flower germinates after just eight to fourteen days. As soon as the second or third pair of leaves appear, you have to separate the small plants. As a result, the seedlings do not take up space from each other and develop into strong plants with good care.
Sow outdoors
From May you can sow Gallardia directly in the perennial border. Here, too, the seeds of the light germinator must not be covered with soil. Protect them with a net from hungry birds that like to eat the seeds.
If you don't cut off everything that has faded in autumn, the blanket flower will often cut itself out. This can result in very dense stands.
tips
The blanket flower blooms in the first year. Put about ten plants close together to form extremely attractive carpets of flowers.