Gaillardia trials reveal some excellent varieties for growers and consumers to consider

Ryan Hall is new product development and marketing manager, Pacific Plug & Liner, (831) 722-5396; www.ppandl.net . Comparative trials are one of the best tools growers have available to separate me-too plants from truly improved genetics. With public trials like the California Spring Trials and gardens at the University of Georgia and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, it’s becoming more difficult to pass through poor genetics to the commercial market. Growers have access to a number of trial results from around the country that provide real-world results showing whether a plant has national application.

Perennials, like annuals, follow breeding trends. Often when genera become popular due to a new variety, more breeders tend to start working on the crop to gain market share. Some larg breeding companies have refocused their efforts on perennial development, especially first-year-flowering perennials that can be fast cropped alongside annuals.

Pacific Plug & Liner in Watsonville, Calif., started doing a summer comparison perennial trial in 2007. Criteria for determining what genera to trial include number of breeders working on a particular crop and the commercial varieties available to growers. The PP&L trials provide an opportunity to look at unique forms and improved genetics as well as compare production costs between seed and vegetative varieties.

Gaillardias galore
Gaillardia, a southwest native, has been used in gardens for years as a seed-grown perennial. In recent years, as more breeders have worked on this crop, there have been great improvements in habit, new colors and, most excitingly, unique tubular flower forms as represented by ‘Fanfare,’ which was introduced by PlantHaven.

Gaillardias are free flowering and self cleaning, blooming from spring to fall. They can be season extenders providing color for six to eight months.

Mesa Yellow, the first F1 seed-produced gaillardia, is not as compact as ‘Arizona Sun,’ but produces huge flowers on well-branched plants.
Need for more colors
It was apparent from the start of the PP&L gaillardia trial that even though seven breeders were represented there was little diversity in color. Thirty varieties were included in the trial.

Gaillardia flowers occur naturally in the yellow to orange to red color range. These colors were well represented in the varieties that were trialed. Gaillardia breeders are making progress in developing flowers in various shades of burgundy, pink and white.

Totally tubular
‘Fanfare’ was the first truly tubular gaillardia flower form commercially available. A few breeders have tried to improve upon Fanfare’s success. The Commotion series from Skagit Gardens includes the cultivars ‘Tizzy’ and ‘Frenzy.’ Additional tubular forms in more colors would be welcome by growers and consumers.

Plant downsizing
One of the first breeding improvements to gaillardia was to tame the plants’ tall and leggy habit. This habit, although fine for the garden, is not conducive to commercial production.

Benary greatly improved the traditional gaillardia with the seed-produced variety ‘Arizona Sun.’ Syngenta Flowers and Florensis have introduced vegetative series that have a uniform compact habit. The Gallo series from Florensis consists of very compact plants. The Gallos are ideal for 4- and 6-inch containers and are well suited for small gardens. Some growers might consider the plants too compact for larger containers.

Disease concerns
Gaillardias are susceptible to powdery mildew. This should be expected since the plants originated from drier climates have evolved to withstand high light and warm temperatures but not humidity. The pubescent leaves that help ensure the plants’ survival in high desert climates don’t tolerate as well the cool, humid conditions that can lead to rot problems during the winter. Plants can also melt in the hot, wet summers of the South. Some progress has been made on improving these problems. For gaillardias to increase in national appeal, better disease resistance is a must.

Top performers
Here are some of the best performing gaillardias in the PP&L trial.

Best overall series: The Gallo vegetative series from Florensis proved to be the most uniform series with a compact habit. The plants were low maintenance and required little to no pinching or growth regulators. Bred by Kieft, the Gallos are expected to be the benchmark series in the market.

Grower favorites: The Commotion vegetative series contain ‘Tizzy’ and ‘Frenzy’ from Skagit Gardens. Although these two varieties were not the most compact, they had the greatest number of flowers of any other variety. ‘Tizzy’ and ‘Frenzy’ flowered early and continued to look good over the entire month of the trial. Although not the most compact plants, the Commotions should have great appeal for both growers and home-garden consumers.

Mesa Yellow is the first F1 seed-produced gaillardia from PanAmerican Seed. It is one of the few seed varieties that can hold its own against vegetative varieties. Although not as compact as ‘Arizona Sun,’ Mesa Yellow produces huge flowers on well branched plants. Hopefully PanAmerican can add more colors to this line.

PlantHaven’s ‘Oranges and Lemons’ is a vegetative variety bred in the United Kingdom. It was the tallest variety in the group. It is great for large containers and is a proven garden performer.

‘Arizona Sun’ and ‘Fanfare,’ two of the oldest varieties in the trial, proved to be good performers. Comparing ‘Arizona Sun’ to some of the newer seed varieties, it was still one of the most uniform in flowering and overall habit. ‘Fanfare’ was more compact and better branched than most of the newer tubular varieties it was trialed with.

Based on the PP&L trial results, gaillardia is a great genus with wide appeal. There is still room for new colors and flower forms and improved disease resistance.

Here’s to the future.