Gaillardia 'Goblin'

Gaillardia 'Goblin': Pint-Sized Mischief Maker of the Border

'Goblin' sounds like it should be hiding under a bridge, but it's actually the cutest thing in the border. Deep red daisies with yellow tips sit on a low, fuzzy grey-green clump. MISCHIEVOUS? SURE. SCARY? NOT EVEN A LITTLE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Goblin' (syn. 'Kobold')
• Common Name: Blanket Flower
• Height: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Spread: 30 cm (12 in)
• Flowers: Deep red daisies with yellow-tipped petals and a red-brown centre, about 7–8 cm (3 in) across
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Soft, slightly hairy grey-green leaves in a low, compact clump
• Features: Long blooming

Where to Plant: Its compact size makes it a natural for the front of a sunny border, rock gardens, gravel beds and containers. It is a good pick for a hot strip along a driveway or a south-facing wall where thirstier plants struggle.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Goblin' in a sunny, dry bed with scarlet poppies, white lavender and a magenta thyme carpet. Thymus 'Magic Carpet' creeps at 2 to 5 cm with magenta-pink flowers in June and July. Lavandula 'Ellagance Snow' adds fragrant white spikes at 30 to 40 cm from June to August. Papaver 'Beauty of Livermere' opens deep scarlet poppies at 60 to 90 cm in May and June. Panicum 'Northwind' rises behind at 150 cm in flower, stiff and blue-green.

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: 'Goblin' is an old, widely grown seed selection of Gaillardia × grandiflora, the garden hybrid between the prairie species G. aristata and the annual G. pulchella. In German-speaking countries it is sold as 'Kobold', which simply means goblin.

Final Thoughts: Plant a row by the walk and let the bees and butterflies do the haunting. THE ONLY GOBLIN YOU'LL WANT TO ADOPT.