Gaillardia ‘Goblin’
'Goblin' in full flower.
* Common name: Blanket flower ‘Goblin’
* Botanical name: Gaillardia aristata ‘Goblin’
* What it is: A compact, sun-loving, drought-hardy perennial with bright red and gold flowers reminiscent of mini sunflowers. Very long-blooming, too, usually starting in early June and continuing through much of the summer.
* Size: ‘Goblin’ is one of the most compact gaillardias, growing about 1 foot tall with a 2- to 3-foot spread.
* Where to use: Makes a nice front-of-border flower around mailboxes, borders, western foundations or any hot, sunny location.
* Care: Snip off spent flowers to keep neat and to encourage repeat blooming. Plant can be sheared during growing season if it’s starting to flop. Divide in fall if it’s spreading beyond where you want it, and fertilize with an organic, high-phosphorus fertilizer such as Flower-tone in early spring.
* Great partner: Try it with golden thread-leaf coreopsis such as ‘Zagreb’ or ‘Golden Gain’ or use it in front of birds nest spruce, hollies, yews or arborvitae.