PlantFiles: Blanket Flower, Indian Blanket
Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'

The 3 blanket flower plants flowered like crazy all summer--I couldn't keep up with deadheading. I watered the plants a few times after first planting them and then just forgot about them. They were located by the alley facing south--very sunny and hot. Sadly, even though blanket flower is supposed to be hardy in zone 4, none of the plants come back this spring.

Love this plant. Expected a wild straggly mess but it is very compact and constantly in bloom with lots of flowers. I planted last year and it came back strong this year. It started blooming mid-April. It is very short (6-10") and compact but has spread to about 18x12 inch wide clump this year from a 4" pot planted last year.

Very pretty flower, but highly susceptible to White Smut fungus.

I grew a few of these from seed and have them planted in full sun with little supplemental watering in the hot, humid Southeast. So far, I am pleased with the result. The plants are short and compact for blanket flowers, and bloom prolifically starting in late April here. They are a great addition for the front of my planting beds.

My favorite Gaillardia Daisy of all time. Very simalar to the 'Grenadine' cultivar Gaillardia but even more bright and stunning. Sandra.

Arizona Sun gaillardia was a beautiful bright colored and heavily flowering plant for me. I planted in 2008 and it came back without a problem.
The only problem I had with it is that it developed 'White Smut" disease which is known to occur in gaillardia's, echinaceas, and a few other host plants. It has to be dug out and tossed in the trash, because it can infect other plants and cause their death. I only pray that my echinaceas were spared this disease.
I gave the plant a neutral rating because, #1 its a beauty and does well, but #2 it had to be shovel pruned due to the disease. Some good some bad I guess. I hope someday to be able to plant another one that doesn't carry the host disease.

We put this in a sunny, hot, dry spot last year. Unlike other new introductions to our garden, this one did not die back at all, and even had a few blooms that season. This year it has come back larger, and has many blooms already. I cut some dead foliage off in early spring, and deadhead - that's it. A winner for spots where other plants would not be able to handle dry heat.

Short 8-10" - Plant 12" apart. zone 3-9 Large orange red blossoms with a ring of yellow. From early summer on this plant produces. The ends of the petals have a torn, ruffled appearance. Butterflies are drawn to it.

New plants can be started by cutting straight down along the side of a clump in midsummer. New plants will form at the severed roots. Loves poor loose soils (no clay).

These plants are hardy and beautiful. Mine come back each year, appears to be from root, but they also propogate heavily from seed. They are in the same location I planted them last year. Gorgeous color! They were one of the first to bloom in my garden in the spring. They'll stay beautiful until frost.

Mine are blooming already. The red on this flower is lovely---intense, but transparent, like a red watercolor wash over bright yellow.