Annual
Blanket Flower / Gaillardia
Gaillardia pulchella · Asteraceae (sunflower/daisy family)
Also called: Firewheel, Indian Blanket, Annual Blanket Flower
Blanket Flower / Gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella) is a low-water annual well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast-growing annual.
Blanket Flower / Gaillardia at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun - thrives in hot, bright Tucson exposures with at least 6+ hours of direct sun.
- Mature size
- 12-24 in tall, 12-18 in wide.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Warm bands of red, orange, and yellow (daisy-like, often red center with yellow tips)., Spring through summer and into fall in Tucson - one of the few annuals that blooms hard through low-desert summer heat.
- Cold hardiness
- Frost-sensitive top growth (nipped at/below 32F) but heat- and drought-tough; grown as a warm-season annual that often reseeds in 9a-9b.
- Soil
- Light, dry, well-drained, even poor or sandy soil; tolerates alkaline desert soils. Sharp drainage is essential - dislikes heavy, wet clay.
- Native range
- South-central and southeastern U.S. and northern Mexico (Texas to the Southeast); native in the U.S. but NOT indigenous to the Sonoran Desert/Arizona.
- Best used as
- Hot-sun color beds and borders, Pollinator and butterfly gardens, Wildflower-style/naturalized plantings, Containers, Cut flowers
- Wildlife
- Excellent pollinator plant - attracts native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators; seed heads feed small birds; deer-resistant.
- Toxicity
- Considered non-toxic / low risk to pets and children (not on ASPCA toxic lists); sap can occasionally cause mild skin irritation in sensitive people.
How to grow Blanket Flower / Gaillardia in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Heat-loving WARM-SEASON annual: plant seed or transplants in spring after frost (February starts/April-May for heat-season color); blooms all summer even in low-desert heat. Drought-tolerant once established - water deeply but infrequently and let soil dry between waterings; overwatering and heavy soil cause rot. (Seeds need light to germinate - do not bury; mist to keep moist 2-3 weeks.)
Fertilizer & nutrients
Very light feeder; thrives in lean soil. Excess fertilizer/nitrogen produces floppy foliage and fewer flowers - a single light feeding or compost at planting is plenty.
Pruning & care
Deadhead spent blooms to extend flowering and keep plants tidy; shear back if they get leggy in midsummer to rejuvenate. Often self-sows.
Notes
One of the best true-annual choices for surviving and blooming through Tucson summer heat. Keep it lean and dry - it performs better with neglect than with rich soil and frequent water. Frequently self-sows for repeat color. (The perennial relative Gaillardia x grandiflora, e.g. 'Arizona Sun,' is also widely grown in the low desert.)
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Pima County Monthly Gardening Guides (Feb/April/May); Pima County Master Gardeners Calendar; Growing In The Garden - how to grow Gaillardia