Common Gaillardia vs Bluejoint - TreeTime.ca

Common Gaillardia vs Bluejoint

Gaillardia aristata

Calamagrostis canadensis

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Common Gaillardia
Bluejoint

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.

Bluejoint is a native perennial grass that forms tall, dense colonies. It is one of the most abundant grasses found in Canada and the United States. The extensive shallow root system and spreading rhizomes help stabilise soils, especially in wet meadows, marshes, and along streambanks.
It is a cool-season grass, growing most actively in spring and fall and slowing during the heat of summer. Seeds from its purple-tinged spikes feed birds and small mammals, and the plant itself provides forage for wildlife and livestock, though it does not tolerate heavy grazing. Its tall, dense growth also offers nesting habitat for wetland birds. With these combined values, Bluejoint is well-suited for naturalisation, riparian plantings, and habitat restoration projects.

Common Gaillardia Quick Facts

Bluejoint Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 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: medium
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - high, seeds - high
Suckering: none


Flowers: orange-red with yellow tips; daisy-like
Bloom time: early 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: bluejoint grass, bluejoint reedgrass, canada blue joint, canada reedgrass, marsh reedgrass