Sunflower : Indian Blanket (Gaillardia Pulchella)

a beauty that should be in every wildflower garden!

Easy to grow from Gaillardia seeds, the Indian Blanket wildflower was approved as Oklahoma's official state wildflower in 1986. Indian Blanket Gaillardia Pulchella is a beauty that should be in every wildflower garden! The large, showy flowers can reach 2 - 3 inches in diameter and begin to bloom in May and usually continue until September. You will be amazed at the intricate colors of this beautiful flower. This wildflower usually does not grow over 18 inches tall and spreads about 12 - 24 inches in width. Indian Blanket flowers usually appear in late spring and signal the beginning of summer in many parts of the country. With their showy, concentric bands of red and yellow blazing across wide expanses of land, they do indeed resemble colorful Indian blankets. Gaillardia wildflower seed should be planted where it will get lots of sun. They can tolerate some drought after being established, but flower best when kept evenly moist. They also do well in containers and window boxes. If you want to keep the wildflower blooming longer and looking nicer, deadheading is important. Let a few of the flowers go to seed to encourage seed distribution in late fall. The fallen wild flower seed will sprout and bloom the following spring. Indian Blanket flowers are grown easily from wild flower seeds. They can be directly seeded into your wild flower garden. Plant Indian Blanket seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8 inch of fine garden or potting soil. Or, broadcast spread them over an area, and lightly rake the Gaillardia seed into the soil.