One of the new plants I picked up recently was
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Apricot.' I passed by it a few times on
my last visit to Roger's Gardens. There was really no good reason for me to buy it as it looks remarkably like
G. aristata 'Gallo Peach,' which I already have, but when I saw that the bees just couldn't leave it alone, the plant landed on my cart and, soon after, in my garden.
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| Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Apricot' |
I previously featured
G. 'Gallo Peach' as one of my favorite plants, although I did so as part of a
post-script to my February Bloom Day post so the plant received little special attention.
'Gallo Peach' is also a bee favorite. The two plants are remarkably similar in color, although
'Arizona Apricot' appears to have slightly taller stems and an added trace of orange in the petals that
'Gallo Peach' lacks.
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| Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' |
They're both eye-catching plants but somewhat less vivid that
G. 'Goblin' and
G. 'Arizona Sun,' which also have a place in my garden.
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| Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' |
The bees don't discriminate.
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| Bees photographed yesterday enjoying (from left to right) G. 'Arizona Apricot,''Gallo Peach' and 'Goblin' |
Gaillardias are heat and drought tolerant. They re-seed freely and the bees love them. All those factors make them welcome in my garden. Despite their strong colors, they also mix well with other plants.
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| The newly planted G. 'Arizona Apricot' hasn't yet had a chance to really connect with Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' or Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' in the backyard border |
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| Gaillardia 'Gallo Peach' was made to order to combine with Solanum xanti |
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| Gaillardia 'Goblin' and 'Arizona Sun' are happy mixing with Grevillea 'Superb,' Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and a host of other plants |
Visit Loree at danger garden to see her favorite plants wrap-up for the merry month of May. You can see the Gazania I featured as my favorite plant earlier this month
here.
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© 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
