Gaillardia: sowing, pruning & propagating blanket flowers

With their yellow-tipped red petals, Gaillardias look great in garden beds or in pots. Find out about the different varieties and how to plant and care for the perennial blanket flower.

Blanket flowers (Gaillardia) have mostly bicoloured flowers like only a few other perennials. Keep reading for an overview of the most beautiful varieties and tips on cultivating and caring for the perennial Gaillardias.

Gaillardia: flower, properties and origin

Gaillardias, also known as blanket flowers, originate from Central and North America. They belong to the Asteraceae family and, like sunflowers (Helianthus) and Echinacea, are classified as a prairie perennial. Depending on the variety and species, these hemispherical, bushy or upright growing, but rather short-lived perennials reach a height of between 20 and 70 centimetres. Gaillardia leaves are pinnately lobed at the base, but lanceolate and hairy on the stem.

Gaillardia flowers can grow larger than 10 centimetres and are classically bicoloured with yellow-tipped red petals. The petals can also be curled in certain varieties. Gaillardia plants flower over a long period from June to September. This long flowering period is beneficial for bees and other insects as it provides pollen even in the otherwise often scarce midsummer. After pollination, the perennial blanket flower forms funnel-shaped seeds with a white appendage, called a pappus, for wind dispersal. They thus self-seed around the mother plant and over long distances.

Note: Slugs and other pests tend to largely avoid gaillardia plants.

The most beautiful Gaillardia varieties

The most commonly found Gaillardia varieties are hybrids, the so-called large-flowered Gaillardias (Gaillardia x grandiflora). Prairie Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata) varieties are much rarer and usually remain smaller than hybrid varieties.

• ‘Arizona Sun’: Gaillardia aristata ‘Arizona Sun’ has orange-red flowers with yellow tips. The plants reach a height of only 30 cm.
• ‘Burgunder’: Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Burgunder’ is a German cultivar from 1931 that reaches 60-70 cm tall and has large flowers with entirely wine-red petals.
• ‘Bremen’: Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Bremen’ is an upright growing, slender cultivar with daisy-like, dark red flowers with yellow tips. It reaches up to 60 cm tall.
• ‘Torchlight’: Gaillardia aristata ‘Torchlight’ has very large flowers and a mound-forming, upright growth to 70 cm. The petals are deep red, while the tips glow a sunny yellow.
• ‘Kobold’: Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Kobold’ has a compact growth to 30 cm tall and bicoloured petals. This variety is ideal for planting in pots and balcony boxes.
• ‘Mesa Peach’: Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Mesa Peach’ has red-orange-yellow flowers and a growth height of up to 40 cm.
• ‘Tizzy’: Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Tizzy’ is a mixed flowering variety with deep blood-red, pale orange and yellow flowers with particularly attractive, rolled petals.

Planting Gaillardia: when, where & how

Gaillardias can be grown from seed or planted directly in the ground as a perennial. Sow gaillardias between April and May in a cold frame or on the windowsill. Do not cover the seeds with soil as they need light to germinate. Place the gaillardia seeds on a growing medium, only press lightly and water carefully. At temperatures of about 15 °C, the gaillardia seeds will germinate after two to three weeks. Prick the young plants out and transplant them into more nutrient-rich potting soil. At a later date, you can slowly begin to harden off the plants before planting outdoors. Plant outside at the end of May. Blanket flowers grown from seed will flower for the first time 14 to 20 weeks after sowing.

If you have bought gaillardias from a nursery as mature perennial plants, plant them out in late autumn until the end of October or in early spring while the perennial is still dormant. Initially, gaillardias only form roots instead of growing leaves. This way, the plants can supply themselves with water and nutrients more quickly. If you plant gaillardias in spring, be sure to water often until the plant has a sufficiently large root system to get it through the oncoming summer months. In terms of location, gaillardias thrive in full sun. But what kind of soil is suitable for gaillardias? A nutrient-rich and humus-rich soil with a good water retention capacity is ideal. A high-quality, nutrient-rich potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic Flower Compost, is a great choice for gaillardias and meets all these criteria. It is therefore suitable not only for potted plants, but also for improving your garden soil.

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To plant gaillardias, first loosen the soil extensively before digging a generous planting hole. Depending on the variety, keep a planting distance of 30 to 50 centimetres between plants. Place the blanket flower in the planting hole and fill with suitable soil. You can also grow gaillardias in pots with a minimum volume of 10 to 15 litres of soil. When doing this, create a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot using gravel, sand or expanded clay to prevent waterlogging.

Tip: Gaillardias combine particularly well with other sun-loving perennials such as larkspur (Delphinium), coneflowers (Rudbeckia) or fleabane (Erigeron).

Gaillardia care

Apart from watering and a few applications of fertiliser, the most important step in gaillardia care is to prune them after flowering. This is essential for good winter hardiness and longevity.

Pruning, watering and fertilising Gaillardias

Deadhead flowers and remove wilted and faded plant parts regularly. This prevents disease and encourages the formation of new flowers during the summer. Gaillardias are unfortunately very short-lived without regular pruning and deadheading. Prune back the entire blanket flower plant by about 15 cm after flowering every year in September. This promotes winter hardiness as well as the formation of young buds for the next year. If cut back too late, the plants may not survive the winter. As prairie plants, the perennials are quite drought tolerant, but be sure to water regularly during hot summers or if your gaillardias are in pots.

Replant potted gaillardias in new, larger pots with fresh planting soil and some fertiliser every two to four years, depending on their growth. In spring, fertilise gaillardias in the garden bed to support leaf growth and flower formation. A predominantly organic slow-release fertiliser, such as our Plantura Flower Food, releases its nutrients slowly and gently over a period of about three months. The granular fertiliser is easily worked into the soil. The nutrients are made available to plants through the activity of soil organisms.

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Blanket flowers not flowering?

There are various reasons why your gaillardias cannot or will not flower. Problems with location, watering and fertilisation are often to blame. Here are a few possible problems and how to remedy them:

• Unsuitable location: Move or relocate plant.
• Water supply: Avoid dryness and waterlogging.
• Lack of nutrients: Repot into fresh substrate and fertilise.
• Perennial is senescent: Rejuvenate the plant by pruning after flowering and dividing. Reseeding may be necessary.

Gaillardias are comparatively short-lived perennials that become senescent quickly and hardly grow or flower after only four to five years. Often this is because the plants have not been cut back radically enough or were never divided to promote their longevity.

Are Gaillardias hardy?

If cut back in time in September, gaillardias are hardy down to -20°C. In very harsh locations, a winter covering may be necessary. An insulating mulch layer of leaves and coniferous branches or even sheep’s wool will protect the plants from harsh sub-zero temperatures. Keep blanket flowers in pots in a frost-free, sheltered location or wrapped well with jute and fleece to prevent the root system from suffering frost damage. Especially for freshly planted perennials, it is important to apply a winter covering.

Gaillardia propagation

One way to propagate gaillardias is by seed. They also like to self-seed in the bed. To get a hold of blanket flower seeds, do not cut back the plant after flowering. Then in October, cut off the seed heads and dry indoors until the seeds come out on their own. After drying, store in a cool, dry and dark place. It is easier to propagate blanket flowers by dividing the plants. To do this, simply cut off a piece of the existing plant with a spade in late autumn and move it to a suitable location. Dividing is also a rejuvenation measure as it promotes flowering and the longevity of the plant. It is therefore a good idea to divide the plants every two to four years.

Are Gaillardias poisonous?

Generally speaking, gaillardias are not poisonous. However, they do contain Gaillardin, which can cause skin irritation, particularly for sensitive skin. As a precaution, we advise wearing gloves when pruning the plant.