How to Grow Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)

Gaillardia, also called blanket flower, is one of the few flowers I can count on to bloom through a low desert summer. It’s a native wildflower built for hot, dry conditions. It’s easy to grow and easy to find. You can pick up transplants at local nurseries and even big box stores, or start it from seed. I’ve grown it in the ground and in containers, and it does well in both.

Here’s what I’ve learned growing gaillardia in my Mesa garden: the varieties I use, when to plant it, and the one mistake that will kill it in the heat.

Why Gaillardia Works in the Low Desert

Most flowers that look great in spring start to struggle once our temperatures climb. Gaillardia doesn’t. As a native wildflower from hot, dry parts of North America, it wants full sun, takes the heat without complaint, and once it’s established, it handles dry spells.

If you’re looking for more flowers that can take a low desert summer, Mexican sunflowers are another heat-lover. Find more crops that love hot summers in these guides: Flowers That Love Hot Summers and Vegetables That Love Hot Summers

Gaillardia Varieties I Grow

There are three main types of gaillardia, and they overlap a lot in the garden:

• Hybrid blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora), a short-lived perennial. Varieties include Dwarf Goblin and Single Mix.
• Common blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata), a perennial. Look for Blanket Flower and Burgundy Blanket Flower.
• Annual gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella). Indian Blanket Double Mix and Sundance fall here.

Arizona Red Shades does especially well in containers for me, with deep red blooms that hold up in the heat. And Double Sunset, which I get from Baker Creek Seeds, is my favorite for cutting. More on that below.

If you want to see other annuals that work here, see my visual guide to Arizona annual flowers.

When to Plant Gaillardia in the Low Desert

Plant gaillardia in spring after the danger of frost has passed, or in fall, which is the easier window in our mild winters. Here’s the timing I follow in the low desert:

Start seeds indoors: July through September, or November through February

Plant seeds or transplants outside: September 15 through November, or January through April

To start seeds outside, rake the soil surface and scatter the seeds. Don’t cover them, since they need light to sprout. Mist lightly and keep the area moist until they germinate, which can take two to three weeks. Once true leaves appear, thin seedlings to about 12 inches (30 cm) apart.

Where and How to Plant Gaillardia

Gaillardia isn’t picky about where it grows. I plant it in the ground and in containers, and it does well in both. I don’t usually put it in my raised beds. It needs full sun and well-draining soil.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Give it regular water until it’s established and growing well. After that, ease off. Gaillardia is drought-tolerant, and it can get root rot if the soil stays too wet, so let things dry out between waterings.
• It doesn’t need fertilizer. Feeding it tends to give you more leaves and fewer flowers.
• Watch for leaf spot and yellowing from aster yellows disease. Remove and dispose of infected plants to prevent it from spreading.

If watering through the heat is a constant battle in your garden, my notes on watering wisely in the desert will help you keep plants going.

How to Keep Gaillardia Blooming Through the Heat

Gaillardia will bloom straight through a low desert summer, but the blooms fade faster once it’s hot. Deadhead regularly. When I pull off the spent flowers, the plant puts its energy into new blooms instead of setting seed. I keep mine deadheaded all season, and helps the blooms keep coming.

Here’s the mistake to avoid. Do not cut gaillardia back hard during the summer. Deadheading is fine, but a heavy cutback in the heat will kill the plant. If a plant gets leggy or blooming slows, wait until the cooler temperatures of fall or spring, then cut back half the plant. Once the new growth starts blooming, cut back the other half. That gives you a refreshed plant without the loss.

Is Gaillardia a Perennial? What it Does in My Garden

In my low-desert garden, I often grow annual varieties, so I plant them fresh each season and treat them as one-year flowers.

For perennial gaillardia, dividing every two or three years keeps it healthy and blooming. You can also give them a trim in late fall or early spring to keep them tidy.

The Wildlife Gaillardia Brings In

Bees love these flowers, and I see a steady stream of beneficial insects on the blooms all season, including assassin bugs and spiders that help keep pest numbers down. Birds go after the seed heads, too, if you leave a few standing at the end of the season.

Gaillardia belongs on the list of flowers that bring beneficial insects into the garden.

Growing Gaillardia As a Cut Flower

Gaillardia blooms for months here, roughly from March through November, and I use it in cut-flower arrangements all season long. Cut your flowers first thing in the morning. Strip the lower foliage, let the stems rest in cool water indoors, and use a flower preservative to stretch the vase life. It mixes well with other long-lasting cut flowers like gomphrena, another heat-hardy bloom that earns its place in a desert cutting garden.

If you want to make your own flower arrangements, learn more about what to grow and how in this guide: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Cut Flowers

Gaillardia FAQs

Grow More Flowers That Love the Heat

Gaillardia is a good place to start if you want color that lasts through a low desert summer. Plant it in full sun, keep it deadheaded, go easy on the water, and it will bloom through the hottest months. For a season-by-season plan of what to plant and when in the low desert, check my low desert planting calendars.