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Blanket Flower
Gaillardia
Blanket Flower blooms from June through September.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Blanket Flower
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–10. Expect it to reach about 1.6 ft tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Blanket Flower
Plant Blanket Flower in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 10 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 6 varieties across 3 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Blanket Flower
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts can cause contact dermatitis, from daisy-family compounds (sesquiterpene lactones) and rough hairs, not from eating it. Wear gloves to handle it. per NC State and Wildflower
Worth knowing
It blooms itself to death. The heavy flowering behind its long season also exhausts the plant, so the hybrid often lives only about two years. per Wisconsin
Annual or perennial?
Sold as 'blanket flower', it might be annual G. pulchella or the short-lived perennial hybrid. Let it self-seed or divide it every 2 to 3 years to keep it going. per NC State
Sharp drainage is everything
Wants lean, sharply drained soil and rots in wet clay, which is the top cause of failure. In heavy ground, use a berm, raised bed or gritty mix. per NC State
North American native
The genus is native to the Americas; the garden plant is a hybrid of two natives, western G. aristata and south-central G. pulchella. per NC State
Feeds pollinators and goldfinches
The long bloom season draws butterflies, native bees and specialist moths, and goldfinches eat the seed heads, so it feeds wildlife for months. per NC State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Usually left alone by deer and rabbits, and salt tolerant too, so it works in browse-pressured, coastal or roadside spots. Very hungry animals may still nibble. per NC State
What pairs well with Blanket Flower
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Viburnum
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 6.6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Lilac
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 9.8 ft, for the layer behind it.
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