Common Gaillardia vs Fireweed - TreeTime.ca

Common Gaillardia vs Fireweed

Gaillardia aristata

Chamaenerion angustifolium (Epilobium angustifolium)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Common Gaillardia
Fireweed

Common Gaillardia is a native perennial wildflower known for its vibrant, daisy-like blooms. Flower petals vary in color from two-tone blooms with an orange-red center and yellow tips to solid yellow. Blooming from early summer to fall, it provides continuous color while attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The seeds also serve as a food source for birds, adding to its ecological value.

Common Gaillardia is easy to grow and can tolerate heat and drought. If flowering slows in the summer heat, cutting back the plant can encourage a new round of blooms in the fall. It is ideal for pollinator gardens, xeriscaping, naturalization projects, and ornamental plantings.

As a perennial, it dies back to the crown each winter, it will regrow from the base in the spring. Avoid disturbing the crown during late winter to ensure healthy growth the following season.

Fireweed is a native perennial wildflower known for its tall spikes of bright pink to purple blooms. Its long-lasting summer flowers are an important nectar source for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while its seeds provide food for birds. Its showy, long-lasting display makes it visually striking in naturalized plantings.

Fireweed gets its namesake because it is often one of the first species to return after wildfires, supporting ecosystem recovery. Its wind-dispersed seeds allow it to spread readily, making it highly effective in large-scale restoration, revegetation, and naturalization projects.
Fireweed is the Provincial Flower of the Yukon.

Common Gaillardia Quick Facts

Fireweed Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, dense, colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - high, rhizomes - high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: orange-red with yellow tips; daisy-like
Flowers: pink-purple spikes
Bloom time: early summer to fall
Bloom time: mid summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: blanketflower, brown-eyed susan, great blanket flower, great blanketflower, great-flowered gaillardia
Other Names: fire weed, great willowherb, rosebay willowherb, willow herb