Blanket Flowers: How to Care for Blanket Flowers

Blanket flower is the common name for sunset-colored wildflowers in the genus Gaillardia that are native to USDA Hardiness Zones 3–10 in South America and North America. The genus belongs to the Asteraceae, or the sunflower, family of plants, along with Coreopsis flowers, daisies, and asters. Blanket flowers are short-lived perennials with flowers in colors like deep burgundy, fiery red or orange, deep peach or apricot, and golden-yellow. The large blooms cluster on top of high stems, blanketing the ground in the plant’s bright colors.

Featuring nuanced color patterns and palettes of red, orange, and yellow, blanket flowers are popular in cottage gardens and arrangements of cut flowers. Here are five different types of blanket flowers:

1. 1. Common blanket flower: The common gaillardia plant (Gaillardia aristata) has inch-long yellow petals and fuzzy green stems and foliage. It is most widespread in North America.
2. 2. Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’: Featuring intensely red petals tipped in a golden hue, this cultivar of blanket flower is a perennial that will attract birds and butterflies, much like its plant relatives.
3. 3. Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’: This cultivar’s striking appearance includes petals that appear like small trumpets and transition from red-orange at the center to yellow at the tips.
4. 4. Gaillardia x grandiflora: This hybrid species resulted from a cross between G. aristata and G. pulchella. This flower has a daisy-like red bloom with golden-yellow fringes. Like many other herbaceous perennials in this category, the flower has a short-lived bloom time that typically begins in early summer. There exists a fully yellow cultivar of this flower called ‘Mesa Yellow.’
5. 5. Sundance: Also called firewheel, the Gaillardia pulchella blanket flower has vividly colored petals that begin with deep reds near the center and end in vibrant yellows near the tips of the frilled petals. Additionally, the symmetry of the petals might remind you of a pinwheel.

Blanket flowers have origins as wildflowers and are therefore hardy plants—in warm, dry climates, they can thrive without much help from you. That said, here are a few tips you can consider following to help your blanket flowers thrive.

• Choose a location with full sun. Blanket flowers thrive in desert climates with high temperatures and poor soils. If you plant them in an area with partial shade, it could stunt the blooms, meaning they may not grow to their full potential.
• Plant the flowers in dry soil. Since these plants are native to arid regions, they grow best in a dry, well-draining soil or sand. Too much moisture or overwatering can cause serious growth and health problems.
• Regularly deadhead blooms. To help your blanket flower store energy over the winter and possibly survive through the frost, you can deadhead any old or wilted blooms. Deadheading will allow the plant to conserve the energy it might have expelled to create new blooms in fall. You can then spread the discarded seed heads from the deadheaded blossoms in your garden’s mulch to increase the number of blooms for the next growing season.

Although blanket flowers attract desirable pollinators, like bees and other species that assist with the propagation of new plants, and are deer-resistant, they are still susceptible to diseases and pests.

Aphids will destroy your plants, but ladybugs can be an easy-care solution, as they are natural aphid predators and will eliminate the pests from your garden. Other pests include goldfinches, which can feed on the flower’s seed cones and will reduce the number of new blooms each season unless you learn how to keep birds out of your garden. It’s important to learn the signs of these pests and diseases so you can treat issues before they spread and affect the growth or overall health of your blanket flowers.

Aster yellows is a viral-like disease carried by leafhoppers and aphids that will quickly spread if left untreated. Once signs of yellowing or wilted narrow petals show up, you should eradicate the infected plants to stop the spread to nearby flowers. Powdery mildew is another affliction to watch for, as the fungi causes plants to wilt or curl. It usually takes hold in moisture-rich conditions, so proper spacing and consistent pruning can prevent this issue from becoming a problem.

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