Welcome to the Sunshine Club!
Summer in San Diego means heat, and heat means you need plants that can take it. Enter Gaillardia, also known as Blanket Flower. This daisy-like perennial is the ultimate low-maintenance bloomer, and it's your Sunshine Club selection for summer.
This Quarter's Seeds: Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
If you're looking for a flower that thrives on neglect (the good kind), Gaillardia is your plant. It tolerates extreme temperatures, poor soil, and asks for no fertilizer. Water it once or twice a week during hot spells, and maybe an extra day if you're growing it in containers. That's it. This is the flower for busy gardeners, water-wise landscapes, and anyone who wants beauty without the fuss.
In late summer, scatter the seeds in a full-sun area of your yard. Here's the trick: don't cover them. Gaillardia seeds need sunlight to germinate, so just press them gently into the soil surface and keep them moist. They'll grow into cheerful plants about 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide, covered in bright flowers that butterflies and other pollinators absolutely love.
The flowers are perfect for cutting and bringing indoors, and the plants keep blooming reliably through the heat. One note: avoid getting the leaves wet when you water (they're hairy and prefer to stay dry). And these are not edible flowers, so admire them but don't eat them.
Coming Soon
Fall Quarter: Hollyhocks (the old-fashioned favorite with towering stalks of blooms that have graced gardens for centuries)
Almost There!
You're three-quarters of the way through the Sunshine Club collection! Come back this fall for Hollyhocks, the grand finale. Each seed packet brings something different to your garden, and together they create a year-round tapestry of color and life.
Stop by City Farmers Nursery Wednesday through Sunday, 9am-5pm. We're here to help your garden thrive, even in the heat.
Family owned since 1972, City Farmers Nursery carries on Farmer Bill's legacy of free advice, quality plants, and community support. Visit us at 3110 Euclid Ave in City Heights.