The blanket flower (Gaillardia grandiflora) has daisy-like orange and yellow blossoms. The plants thrive as perennials in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 10, regularly blooming from early summer through late fall. After the blossoms have faded, the plants create a compact seed head. You can increase the size of your blanket flower bed by saving seeds from your current plants. Whether you start the seeds indoors or directly sow them in the garden, they grow easily in the spring.
The seeds should be kept in a bag or sealed jar. Inscribe the plant’s name and the date of harvest on the jar. Before you plant the blanket flowers, keep them in a cool, dark spot.
Saving Gaillardia Flower Seeds
The herbaceous annual Gaillardia pulchella, also known as Indian blanket, blanket flower, Indian blanket flower, or firewheel, is a native of the central United States. It’s a really simple plant to grow in the garden, and storing Gaillardia seeds is just as simple.
You can easily understand where this plant derives its common names from if you look at the fiery blossom petals. The seeds of this plant grow in the middle of the bloom, just like those of other Asteraceae species. The ‘eye’ of the flower is actually made up of several smaller blooms.
The visible petals are merely ornamental and serve to draw pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, which they do in droves.
The leaves of your Gaillardia plants fall off once the center flowers have finished being pollinated, leaving these lollipop-shaped seed heads on the stalks.
Gaillardias should be deadheaded to encourage more blooms, but in most regions they will bloom on their own from summer into fall.
Keep the seed heads on your plants until the seed head has dried to a largely white tint and lost all of its color. The beautiful spheres begin to contract and you’ll notice black circles in the seed head when the seed heads are suitably mature and dried. Gaillardia seed heads are ready to be collected when they resemble the image above. Simply pinch the seed head of a gaillardia plant until it disintegrates and all the individual seeds fall to the ground. Before storing the seeds, place them on a piece of paper in a cold, dry area to remove any moisture.
Using gloves when collecting the Gaillardia seeds may be a good idea because I find that the achenes, which are the actual seeds of this plant, have some quite sharp edges. Although preserving seeds for gaillardia is not necessary because it self-seeds rapidly, it is still a good idea to keep extra seeds in your seed bank and seed library just in case. Plant a few Gaillardias in your garden if you’re seeking for drought-tolerant, essentially maintenance-free plants.
How are Gaillardia seeds propagated?
Growing Gaillardias From Seeds: A Guide
- The growing medium should be made. In a bucket, combine 1 part fine sphagnum peat moss and 1 part vermiculite.
- In a pot, put the Medium.
- Plant seeds.
- direct sunlight is provided.
- Water as Necessary.
- Keep an eye out for germination signs.
- Seedlings need watering.
- Include fertilizer.
Sunlight needs for Blanket Flower
The gaillardia plant prefers full sun, and it blooms most profusely when it receives 6 to 8 hours of daily direct sunlight. Try growing Gaillardia if you live in a hot climate and notice that other flowers wither from the heat.
Gaillardia can tolerate some partial shade in an extremely hot environment, but the flowers will get lanky and the plant won’t flower as frequently.
Moisture and Soil Requirements for Gaillardia
This lovely perennial may withstand droughts to some extent. Select loose, sandy soil that drains nicely. The ideal pH is neutral. After this, the plant is easy to maintain and needs minimal water. The first season the plant needs water to establish itself.
Compost or other organic material should be added each year at planting time and in the early spring. Plants should be placed 12 inches apart.
Flowers and growing habit for Gaillardia
The gaillardia flower, from which it derives its common name, has extremely vivid and dramatic hues in red, yellow, and orange with a blanket-like quilted appearance. Many people began referring to the blossoms as “Indian blanket flowers” because they appeared to make people think of vividly colored Native American blankets.
The plant grows from a height of about 15 inches to a maximum of 3 feet. Since most plants don’t grow much taller than two feet, the front of borders are ideal for them. Gaillardia grows as a mound that spreads gradually.
Gaillardia blanket flowers have a long blooming period; they will continue to bloom for months during a large portion of the gardening season, from early summer to fall.
In blanket flowers, the ends of the petals appear torn. Double petals can be found on some plants. The majority of the plants have petals that resemble daisies, but some have odd petals that resemble tubes and are quite beautiful.
Deadhead the plants frequently to keep them blooming beautifully all summer. Although the flowers are fleeting, as long as you keep up with the deadheading, they will continue to bloom. Check out this post for plants that don’t require deadheading if you don’t like to do it.
Propagating Gaillardia
The blanket flower can be multiplied through division, root cuttings, or seed. Every two to three years, divide established plants in the spring or early fall. Gaillardia perennials have a short lifespan; thus, division will enable you to maintain them in your yard for many years.
Gaillardias may be cultivated from seed, and unlike some other perennial seeds, they bloom the first year. Gaillardia seeds from your current plants won’t grow identically to the parent, though.
Cold Hardiness Zones
This attractive perennial is adaptable to zones 3 through 9 and is very simple to overwinter. To ensure that the gaillardia clusters endure through the winter, cut them back in the fall to approximately 6 inches.
Is it necessary to deadhead blanket flowers?
Even though blanket flowers do not need to be deadheaded to continue blooming, cutting the stems back when the flowers start to fade can make the plants look better and fuller. Deadheading will also result in longer periods of continuous flowering, so don’t be hesitant to do it.
Do birds consume the seeds of blanket flowers?
Holding a seed head above a bowl after it has finished drying can allow you to gently rub it. It should cause the seeds to move and land in the bowl. Stems and other non-seed debris will also be left, which you must remove from the bowl. The remaining seeds must be kept in a sealed jar that is marked with the plant’s name and the date the seeds were collected. Until you are ready to plant, keep that jar of seeds in a cool, dark location.
Aesthetic seed heads in the shape of globes are produced by both annual and perennial blanket flower types. Gardeners can increase winter appeal by leaving the final flush of blossoms on the plant and letting them set seed in the fall. If you don’t want to transplant annual kinds every year, you can allow the fall seed heads on the plant to self-sow; however, seed-grown varieties might not produce plants that are exactly like their parents. Additionally, the seeds draw birds to your garden in the fall and winter. If you don’t want the plant to set seeds, cut it back to the ground after it turns dormant in the late fall.
The Gaillardia (blanket flowers) were named in honor of M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, a French judge and supporter of botany in the 18th century.
How is gaillardia deadheaded?
Deadheading enables a plant to set additional flower buds for continued flowering and also stops the plant from self-sowing in the garden. It is the act of removing the old, wasted blooms. Any time the blooms start to wilt during the flowering season, blanket flowers benefit from deadheading.
Deadhead blanket flower plants by pinching back the flower stalks to the uppermost leaf to eliminate the complete floral structure. Inspect the plants at least once a week. Allowing the plant to set seeds uses energy that could be used to produce more blooms. By stopping this energy waste, deadheading, a plant may produce more flowers and be healthier.