Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri 'Grape Sensation'
Grape Sensation Blanket Flower
Item #: 7637
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Forget everything you know about gaillardia and check out this unusual 2004 introduction! Gaillardia 'Grape Sensation' is a selection of the amazing, but very rare (three counties only) Texas native, Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri made by Dawn Stover, formerly of the SFA Mast Arboretum in Nacogdoches, Texas. Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri 'Grape Sensation' is a superb long-lived perennial, forming an airy 2' tall x 3' wide clump. Instead of typical gaillardia flowers, Gaillardia 'Grape Sensation' is topped with an abundance of 2" wide grape flowers from May through October....good drainage always helps.
Gaillardia aestivalis is one of the best sun perennials introduced in quite a few decades. It does bloom for 5 months of the year (May through October), even through exceptionally dry summers. It is a very long lived perennial, one might even say permanent, which is so different from the very well known Indian Blanket Flower, Gaillardia aristata and the hybrid G x grandiflora. It spreads underground at a modest rate, though one could hardly ever have too much of it. Division of establish plants is an easy way to propagate it. Even small and perhaps unpromising looking scraps re-establish and grow away. Despite its long bloom period it rarely looks shabby, the seed heads shattering eventually and disappear. Maintenance consists of cutting the spent flower stalks to the ground come winter.
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Other Attributes
Genus: Gaillardia
Flower Color: Purple/Lavender , Violet
Leaf Color: Green
Bloom Time: Fall , Spring , Summer
Container Role: Fillers
Garden Themes: Cottage Garden Plants , Green Roofs , Living Wall , Rock Garden Plants , Southwest Garden Plants
Other: Butterfly Attracting Plants , Drought Tolerant Plants , Florida Native Plants , Georgia native plants , Groundcovers , Pollinator Plants , Medicinal Plants , North American Native Plants , Rabbit Resistant Plants , Salt Tolerant Seaside Plants , Texas Native Plants , Xeriscaping Plants , United States Native Plants