Ornamental · Asteraceae
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia × grandiflora
Hand it full sun and lean, dry soil, and the blanket flower keeps the color going from June to frost.
Full sun
USDA 3–10
1–3 ft · 0.3–0.9 m
Overview
Blanket flower is a tough, sun-loving member of the daisy family, and it got its name from the warm reds, oranges, and yellows that wrap each bloom like a woven blanket. Want a long show without much fuss? This is the plant for it. Drop it in a hot, dry corner and it'll flower from early summer all the way into fall.
The neat thing is how little it asks for. It handles drought, heat, and poor soil without batting an eye and keeps blooming where pickier perennials would throw in the towel. There's a catch, though, and it's the flip side of all that toughness: rich soil and too much water are exactly what do it in.
It's a short-lived perennial, so a clump tends to peter out after a few years. But that's no reason to pass it up, right? Split it every couple of seasons or let it self-sow, and the color just keeps on coming with hardly any work on your end.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and a pretty light touch with the watering can. Keep deadheading through the season to keep the flowers coming, and don't bother with fertilizer.
Light
Blanket flower wants full sun, and honestly the more the merrier. Give it a hot, wide-open spot and it'll flower its heart out. Stick it in shade, though, and it gets leggy, flops over, and barely blooms.
Water
Water it steadily while a young plant's getting settled, then ease right off. Once it's established it's drought tolerant and way happier dry than wet. Overwatering, or heavy clay that won't drain, is the quickest way to rot the roots, so when in doubt, hold back.
Soil
Go with well-drained loam or sandy soil and work in a bit of organic matter. It's pretty relaxed about pH across a wide range from 6.0 to 8.0, so most ground will do. The one thing it can't handle is soggy clay sitting through winter.
Humidity
Regular outdoor air is plenty, so there's no number to chase here. What matters more is airflow, because damp, crowded plantings are what bring powdery mildew to the leaves.
Feeding
This is a plant that honestly likes to stay hungry. Feed it lightly during the growing season at most, since lean soil gives you tougher plants and more flowers. Pile on the fertilizer and what do you get? Flopping and fewer blooms.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent blooms through the season to keep new ones coming and the plant looking sharp. When it starts looking ragged, just cut it back as needed and it'll push out a fresh round of flowers.
Size & spacing
Plants get to 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm) tall and spread out 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm). Set them 12 to 18 inches apart so air can move around and mildew stays away.
When to plant
Blanket flower's all about warmth and really doesn't like wet cold. Start seeds indoors in late winter or sow them straight outside once frost's passed, and you'll get blooms from early summer through fall, even longer if you keep up the deadheading.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Start seeds indoors about 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost.
- Plant: Transplant or direct sow after the last spring frost; space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
- Harvest: Blooms from early summer (June) through fall (September); deadheading extends the season.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–10
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Just about every problem a blanket flower hits comes back to soil that's too wet or air that's too still. Nail the drainage and spacing and most of this list never even comes up. Find what matches what you're seeing below, then act before it spreads.
Whole plant flopping over with black stem bases and a mushy crown
What you've got here is root and crown rot, and it's the thing most likely to actually kill a blanket flower. The culprit? Soil that just won't dry out. Dig around the base and you'll feel brown, mushy roots where good ones should be firm and white. Mix some sand or organic matter into the bed, move the plant somewhere higher and drier if that's an option, and go a lot easier on the water.
Fix:
- Improve drainage by amending soil with organic matter or planting in a raised or sandier site
- Reduce watering and remove severely affected plants
Odd yellowed shoots and flowers coming out warped
This is aster yellows, a phytoplasma that leafhoppers spread as they hop from plant to plant, and here's the hard part: there's no fixing it once a plant catches it. Keep an eye out for flowers that turn green or go warped, plus stunted, broom-like shoots that just won't bounce back. Your best move is to pull and destroy the sick plant right away, then deal with the leafhoppers and weedy hosts that keep it going.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected plants promptly
- Control leafhoppers that spread the disease
Leaves and stems looking dusted with white powder
That chalky white film is powdery mildew, and it shows up when plants are packed together in humid, still air. It wipes right off, but it'll be back unless something changes. So give the plant more elbow room or split up a crowded clump, pull off the worst of the leaves, and try to keep water off the foliage.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by spacing and dividing plants
- Remove affected foliage
Little dark blotches showing up on the leaves
Those are just fungal leaf spots, and they look way scarier than they are. The plant almost never really suffers for them. Pick off the spotted leaves, water down at the base instead of over the top, and make sure there's enough room for air to get through.
Fix:
- Remove affected leaves
- Avoid overhead watering and improve air flow
Toxicity
Good news if you've got pets: blanket flower is non-toxic and isn't on the ASPCA's toxic plant list. Cats, dogs, and grazing animals are all safe around it. The one thing to keep an eye on is your own skin, since those fuzzy leaves and flowers can leave sensitive hands a little itchy.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are totally fine here. It's not on the ASPCA's toxic list, so if a cat takes a nibble, there's nothing to stress about.
Dogs None
Dogs are good too. Since it's off the ASPCA toxic list, a dog can sniff or chew it without any harm done.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze right next to it and be just fine, because none of its parts are poisonous.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are okay with it. There's no toxin in the leaves or flowers, though it's still smart to keep it to the odd bite.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can hang around it no problem, since there's nothing in it that would bother them.
Birds Safe
Birds have nothing to worry about, whether they're picking at the seed heads or the leaves.
People Safe
People are safe too, with just one little thing: those fuzzy leaves and flowers can leave sensitive skin a bit itchy, so why not slip on gloves before a long deadheading session?
Generally regarded as non-toxic and not listed on the ASPCA toxic plant list. Contact with the fuzzy foliage and flowers can cause mild skin irritation (contact dermatitis) in sensitive people; wearing protective gloves when handling is recommended.
Varieties
Blanket flower comes in a bunch of named cultivars, mostly sorted out by height and how the colors land. Here are a few that are worth getting to know.
Goblin
It's a compact little dwarf that stays low and neat, with red flowers ringed in yellow.
Burgundy
It's a taller one, loved for its solid wine-red blooms that skip the usual two-tone edge.
Oranges and Lemons
It's the softer choice, with peachy-orange petals that fade out to pale yellow at the tips.
How to propagate
Blanket flower's super easy to multiply, which comes in handy since each plant's short-lived. You can split up an established clump or just grow it fresh from seed.
DivisionEasy
Spring; divide clumps every 2 to 3 years to maintain vigor. · One growing season
Since blanket flower doesn't live all that long, splitting the clumps in spring every 2 to 3 years keeps it going, and hey, you get free plants out of the deal. Just lift a clump, pull it apart, and pop the pieces back in. The divisions need only a single growing season to find their feet.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost or direct sow after frost. · Blooms in the first or second season
Seed's just as easy to deal with. Start it indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost, or sow it right into the ground once the frost's done, and you'll see flowers in the first or second season. It self-sows like crazy, but since these are hybrids, the seedlings that pop up often look nothing like the parent.
Myths
Blanket flower won't really take off unless it gets rich ground and plenty of water.
Actually, it's the complete opposite. Blanket flower likes lean, well-drained ground and just shrugs off drought once it's settled in. Give it heavy, fertile, soggy soil and you'll end up cutting its life short with fewer blooms to show for it, so be a little stingy and it'll thank you.
Blanket flower is poisonous to pets.
Nope, it isn't. The plant's considered non-toxic and it's not on the ASPCA's list for cats or dogs. The only thing to watch is your own skin, since the hairy leaves can leave a sensitive person feeling a bit itchy.