With the cockade flower (Gallardia) you get an extremely flowering and attractive perennial in your flower bed. Not only does it bloom persistently from June to October, but it is also a very long-lasting cut flower. If you want to border a perennial bed with a living fence of colorful cockade flowers, you will need a lot of perennials, which are not cheap in stores. However, with our seed tips, you can grow your own without any problems.
When and how do you sow cockade flowers?
Cockade flowers should be sown in March in pots with potting soil and not covered with soil as they germinate in light. Direct sowing outdoors is possible from May. The plants bloom in the first year and form dense carpets of flowers.
Prefer Gallardia
The right time for sowing is March. By the time the ice saints arrive, the small plants are already big enough to be transplanted directly into the open field.
- Fill small growing pots with special growing soil (€6.00 on Amazon) and press it firmly.
- Gallardia is a light germinator, so do not cover the seeds with soil.
- Wet well with a sprayer.
- For a greenhouse environment, cover with a hood or a clear plastic bag.
- Air daily, this prevents the formation of mold and rot.
- Keep evenly moist but do not soak completely.
Under these conditions, the cockade flower germinates after just eight to fourteen days. As soon as the second or third pair of leaves appear, you have to separate the small plants. This means that the seedlings do not take up space from each other and, with good care, develop into strong plants.
Sowing outdoors
From May you can sow Gallardia directly into the perennial bed. Here, too, the seeds of the light germinator must not be covered with soil. Protect them with a net from hungry birds that like to eat the seeds.
If you don't cut off everything that has faded in the fall, the cockade flower will often exterminate itself. This allows you to ensure very dense populations.
Tip
The cockade flower blooms in the first year. If you plant about ten plants close together, extremely attractive flower carpets will form.
