Gaillardia ‘Fanfare Serenade’

We’ve had our eye on this one for a while. Gaillardia ‘Fanfare Serenade’ is a real showstopper, with unique, trumpet-like flowers that keep on coming all summer and into autumn. The flowers are a fiery red, each petal flaring out to a bright yellow tip, held on upright stems. They’re a magnet for bees and butterflies in our nursery tunnels.

This is a compact, mounding plant that typically reaches about 40-50cm in height. It forms a clump of light green leaves and loves a spot in full sun with well-drained soil. It’s not fussy and copes well with poorer, dry soils once it’s established, making it a tough and reliable choice for those sun-baked spots in the garden.

To get the most out of it, deadhead the spent flowers regularly to encourage more to form. These perennials can be short-lived, but cutting the plant back in late summer can help it through the winter. It’s a brilliant, low-maintenance choice for cottage gardens, gravel beds, or containers.