How to Grow and Care For Blanket Flowers 2024

Team McFly Sep 15, 2023
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Gaillardias blanket flower

"Blanket Flowers: A Burst of Colorful Sunshine for Your Garden"

Introduction

Gaillardia (or blanket flower) is an Asteraceae family flower named for 18th-century French botanist Maitre Gaillard de Charentonneau2. Blanket flowers are heat and drought-tolerant plants that thrive in sunny and shady locations. Due to their hardiness, these hardy blooms can be grown successfully in zones 3-9.

How to Grow and Care for Blanket Flowers Gaillardia

Gaillardia (or blanket flower) is an Asteraceae family flower named for 18th-century French botanist Maitre Gaillard de Charentonneau2. Blanket flowers are heat and drought-tolerant plants that thrive in sunny and shady locations. Due to their hardiness, these hardy blooms can be grown successfully in zones 3-9.

Watering

A blanket flower, Gaillardia is an ideal perennial plant for hot and dry climates. Its mats of leaves keep the soil cool while retaining moisture. It is an effective soil erosion control plant with medicinal properties and is suitable as a cut flower.

Blanket flowers are easy to maintain and care for, making them the perfect choice for adding beauty and pollinators to your garden. They are drought tolerant but do not overwater, which could lead to root rot.

Watering blanket flowers effectively requires lightly watering the soil daily (or as needed) to keep it moist. Be sure to water deeply, not shallowly.

Fertilizing

Gaillardia, commonly called blanket flowers, are easy to grow and maintain. They often form mass plantings to attract bees and other pollinators.

Blanket flowers are perennial herbaceous blooms that bloom all summer in vibrant orange, yellow, and red colors. Additionally, these hardy perennials have great drought tolerance and can thrive even in hot, dry climates.

Planting sunflowers is easy; start from seeds or purchase starter plants at local nurseries to propagate. They can be grown in pots or the garden bed.

These flowers make a lovely addition to any landscape, offering color and biodiversity. Additionally, they're deer-resistant and look great planted alongside ornamental grasses.

Gaillardia blanket flowers

Pruning

Blanket flowers make an excellent addition to your garden, as they're easy to care for and provide long-lasting blooms. Furthermore, these heat and drought-tolerant beauties suit areas with limited water availability.

They can be grown from seeds, division, or root cuttings. To start seeds, place them in an appropriate container or small pot and cover them with a thin layer of soil or seed starting medium.

Gaillardias can thrive in various growing conditions, from full sun to light shade and dry or moist soil. A native wildflower, they make an attractive accent plant in any garden setting.

These long-blooming plants attract bees and butterflies to your garden. They add color and interest to the landscape when combined with other herbaceous perennials like echinacea, Shasta daisies, or foxgloves.

Gaillardia

Deadheading

Blanket flowers, or Gaillardia, are native to North America and make for attractive landscape borders or roadside plantings. Not only do they thrive in various soil types and conditions, but they can also withstand full sunlight.

Maintain the health of blanket flowers by deadheading their foliage when it stops blooming. Doing so will give the plant a fuller appearance and encourage continuous blooming.

Blanket flowers prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade as well. Please provide them with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.

These plants require little upkeep and require little attention. However, they do have some pests and diseases to watch out for. Powdery mildew and aster yellows, both spread by aphids and leafhoppers, should be taken seriously.

plant pests

Pests and Diseases

Gaillardia (commonly called blanket flowers) are stunning additions to any garden. They grow well in various soil types and conditions, and once established, they can even withstand drought conditions.

They are widely used in cottage gardens, cutting gardens, rocky or sandy landscapes, and butterfly gardens. Not only that, but they make excellent perennial borders as well as stunning potted arrangements.

Blanket flowers are resistant to deer damage and attract bees and other beneficial pollinators; however, they also suffer from pests and diseases like powdery mildew and fungal leaf spot.

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