Gaillardia 'Mesa Yellow'

Gaillardia 'Mesa Yellow': Clear Yellow With a Trophy Shelf

Bright yellow daisies with golden centres, stacked on a tidy mound like somebody filled a bowl with sunshine and forgot the lid. 'Mesa Yellow' keeps BLOOMING LIKE IT'S PAID BY THE FLOWER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Gaillardia × grandiflora
• Common Name: Blanket Flower
• Series: Mesa, from PanAmerican Seed
• Height: 36–41 cm (14–16 in)
• Spread: 51–56 cm (20–22 in)
• Flowers: Bright yellow daisies about 7–8 cm (3 in) across with a golden centre
• Bloom Time: Summer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Green leaves on a compact, mounded, well-branched plant
• Features: All-America Selections winner, long blooming

Where to Plant: Clear yellow is easy to place, so use it at the front of a sunny border, in a gravel or rock garden, or in containers where it will tumble a little over the rim. It is a cheerful filler in pollinator beds too.

Companion Plants: Give 'Mesa Yellow' a sunny, dry bed with pink thrift, yellow milkweed and tall purple hollyhocks. Armeria maritima edges the front with pink pompoms at 15 to 20 cm in May and June. Asclepias 'Hello Yellow' adds golden milkweed at 45 to 60 cm from June to August. Alcea 'Purple Rain' rises at the back to 175 to 180 cm with deep purple hollyhocks from June to August. Muhlenbergia capillaris adds a fine clump that turns into a pink haze in September and October.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to lean, well-drained soil. Sandy or gravelly ground is ideal. Rich, wet soil makes blanket flowers floppy and short-lived, and heavy clay that stays soggy in winter is the main reason they don't come back. If you garden on clay, plant on a slope, in a raised bed, or work in grit first. Water regularly the first season, then only during long dry spells. Skip the fertilizer. Deadhead spent flowers to keep new buds coming. Blanket flowers can be short-lived. Cutting the plant back by about half in late summer encourages fresh leafy growth that helps it through winter, and dividing every two or three years in spring keeps it vigorous. Leave the foliage in place over winter and tidy it up in spring.

History: 'Mesa Yellow' was named an All-America Selections flower award winner for 2010, when it was described as the first hybrid blanket flower with a controlled habit and prolific flowering. It was bred by PanAmerican Seed as an F1 hybrid of the North American wildflowers Gaillardia aristata and G. pulchella, and it went on to anchor the Mesa series.

Final Thoughts: Mix it with the reds and peaches for a sunny-side-up border. BREAKFAST IS SERVED, AND THE BUTTERFLIES ARE FIRST IN LINE.