Gailardia long-term - unpretentious decoration for any site

Gailardia is a perennial - a genus of long-flowering plants, belonging to the family of complex flowers. His homeland is considered the south and southwest of North America. About 30 years ago, residents of Oklahoma (USA) chose this flower as the official symbol of their state.

According to the Indian legend, the flowers of the gaylard were earlier yellow and were used by Aztec women to decorate their hair. But after the invasion of the Spanish conquerors, a lot of blood was shed, so a red ring appeared on the flower. And the butterflies fluttering over the flowers began to symbolize the souls of the fallen Indians.

Gailarium long-term, depending on the variety, can reach a height of 20 cm to 1 m. It grows rapidly due to the creeping rhizome. The stems and leaves are covered with short hairs. Basal leaves with short petioles, spatulate or lanceolate, dissected or entire. The stem leaves of petioles and dissected margins practically do not.

On the peduncle, only one large inflorescence develops in the form of a basket, the ligulate flowers of which are brightly colored (red, orange, yellow or combine several colors). Depending on the variety of flowers in shape can be simple and terry.

Very unpretentious gailardy perennial. Cultivation of it is available to anyone. In one place it grows well to 4 years, then she will need to update the bushes and transfer to a new place. She prefers sunny places. In hot weather, it needs watering. In order not to stop flowering and decorativeness, faded flowers should be regularly removed. In the period of active vegetation it is necessary to feed the plant once a month with complex fertilizer.

Gailardia perennial grows better on light, air-permeable soils. It can suffer from stagnation of water, so before planting it is necessary to pour a layer of drainage, for example, of small pebbles. For the winter radical shoots formed in autumn, it is desirable to sprinkle with dry leaves, protecting from frostbite.

Propagated gailardy perennial seeds, cuttings and division of bushes. In the latter version, small cuts should not be made, as they will take a long time to grow. Cuttings can be taken as green, and woody, with the rooting of problems, as a rule, does not arise, but the use of a rooting stimulator will not be superfluous.

This plant multiplies perfectly by self-seeding. In this case, flowers can appear in a variety of colors. It makes sense to mark the most successful specimens and collect seeds from them for further cultivation. Sow seeds that retain their germination capacity to 2 years, can be both under winter and spring. Only the spring crops will bloom directly into the ground only next year, unlike the autumn ones.

Gailardia, a perennial of the seeds, must be sown for seedlings in February. Seeds for germination require light, so do not soil them. The container with sowing should be covered with a transparent film and placed in a sufficiently lighted place. Seedlings will appear within two weeks. You need to water them moderately.

Gailardia perennial is able to fill any area with paints. Tall grades may need support, because under the weight of flowers they can lie, spoiling the overall picture. Low-grown varieties will look great in balcony boxes and garden containers, in cuttings, curbs and in the foreground of flower beds.