Gaillardia (Blanketflower, Brown-eyed Susan, Common Gaillardia, Great Blanketflower)
Gaillardia aristata
Family:
Aster family - Asteraceae
Native gaillardia, distinct from commercially sold cultivars, thrives in sun and poor soil, providing a splash of color and a hardy, drought-resistant option for gardens.
Meadow / Grassland garden
Rock garden
Xeriscape garden
Pollinator garden
Drought tolerant
Deer resistant
Details
Emerges
May, June
Seed collection
Flowers
July, August
Yellow
Red
Orange
August
Height
30
-
60
cm
Lifecycle
Perennial
Width
30
-
45
cm
Habit
Forbs
Upright
Taproot
Clumping
Herbaceous
Ecology
Supports
Bees
Butterflies & Moths
Providing
Pollen source
Nectar source
Habitat
Typically found in
prairie
Dry, sandy prairies and stony places, very common in Southern Alberta and in the Rocky Mountains, found in isolated patches on south-facing slopes in the Edmonton area.
In the Garden
Growing Conditions
Moisture
Dry
Average
Light
Full sun
Soil
Average garden soil, Sand, Rocky, Gravel
Propagation
Via
Seeds
Self-seeding
Sowing Recommendations
Direct sow seeds
Sow seeds in pot
Fall planting
Landscape
Use for:
Middle of bed
Single planting
Mass planting
Low maintenance gardening
Growing Tips
Prefers sun and poor soil but adaptable to any well-drained garden soil.
Forms a small clump when mature, and won't spread, but may self-seed a little.
Buy small, young plants, as they have a deep tap-root and don't like to be moved.
Suggested spacing is 45 cm.
Description
Native gaillardia is just as beautiful as its many cultivars, with its lovely yellow and orangey-red flowers, but much hardier. It's also considered to be deer-resistant due to the unpalatable texture of the mature leaves and stems.
Gaillardia is one of the last plants to emerge in the spring and sometimes it doesn't appear until June, but it quickly makes up for lost time and is flowering by July.
Native gaillardia is genetically distinct from the commercially sold cultivars. To preserve genetic traits of native populations, avoid cross-pollination (which produces hybrid seeds) by ensuring native plantings are at least 300 m from cultivars.