Not boring and quite the performer, Gaillardia Commotion® 'Tizzy' PPAF is winning favor in my garden. The blooms are a beautiful, deep orange with such an interesting petal design. This is a fancy blanket flower!
I added three of these blanket flowers for a big punch of orange by the patio in the fragrance garden. Only one week after deadheading, all three plants have produced a great display of perfect blooms. These were in bloom when I planted them at the end of May in a new garden bed with lavender, salvia and agastache.
The second bloom is just as impressive as the first bloom! I used cordless hand trimmers to easily deadhead the plants. Gaillardia 'Tizzy' is rated for zones 5-8 and is drought tolerant once established. The height should be 18 inches, making a clump that is 24 inches wide.
Since I don't have these out beside the meadow, I can't say for sure if these are as deer resistant as other blanket flowers that I grow. Deer can access these perennials, but they have to cross the patio to reach them. That's not an impossible feat for deer as they recently walked past these blanket flowers to reach a tall planter on the waterfall patio where they munched impatiens, heuchera and coleus!
How many times will 'Tizzy' bloom this year? The grower says that it will bloom continuously May through October, if deadheaded. I'll report back later...
Photo and words by Freda Cameron
