Gaillardia or Blanket Flower is the state wildflower of Oklahoma. This native member of the aster family is drought and heat tolerant, but not the longest-lived perennial in the garden. I think the longest I had one was 3 years, but they are one of the longest blooming plants in the garden, blooming from late spring through frost, provided you dead-head the spent blooms. The original plant is a combination of yellow, orange and red, but today there are many hybrids on the market in single colors,
double blooms
and some with clusters of tubular flowers.
The plants are deer and rabbit resistant. Full sun, and dry conditions are preferred. They do not do well in heavy or poorly drained sites.
Cleome – Spider Flower.
I love the addition of so many other common names - Grandaddy’s Whiskers and Stinking John were two that were added. This summer annual is native to South America,
but has been a staple in southern gardens for years. The flowers can come in shades of pink, purple or white and can grow 1 to 5 feet tall depending on which variety you are growing. The plants produce clusters of flower heads, followed by thin spider-like seedpods.
While almost all varieties will set seeds, the new varieties tend to produce sterile seed. The older varieties freely reseeded themselves. The plants are drought and heat tolerant and love full sun. Years ago, Ouachita County Master Gardeners were planting these annuals at one of their projects in downtown Camden. Over a period of several weeks, they noticed that the plants were disappearing, even after replanting. MG Thera Lou decided to find out who was stealing their plants. After a brief stake-out, she found local sheriff deputies digging up the plants. They thought someone had planted marijuana ( the leaves can resemble marijuana).
Thera Lou educated the department, and the remaining cleomes were left to thrive.