BLANKET FLOWER
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’
Gaillardia x grandiflora
gay-LAR-dee-uh x gran-dih-FLOR-uh
(Gaillardia aristata x Gaillardia pulchella)
gay-LAR-dee-uh a-ris-TAH-tuh
x
gay-LAR-dee-uh pul-KEL-uh
(gay-LAR-dee-uh pul-CHEL-uh)
Gaillardia x grandiflora Hort. ex Van Houtte is the accepted scientific infraspecific name for this hybrid Gaillardia. It was named and described by Louis Van Houtte in Journal Général d’Horticulture in 1857.
Gaillardia aristata Pursh is the accepted scientific name of this perennial species of Gaillardia. It was named and first described by Frederick Traugott Pursch in Flora Americae Septentrionalis in 1814.
Gaillardia pulchella Foug. is the accepted scientific name for this annual species of Gaillardia. The genus ans species were named and described by Auguste Denis Fougeroux de Bondaroy in Histoire de l’académie Royale des Sciences in 1786.
As of 12-1-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 21 accepted species in the genus Gaillardia. It is a member of the plant family Asteraceae with 1,702 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO. The number of genera in this family fluctuates quite often.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Gaillardia sp., probably G. aristata, on 8-19-11, #74-10.
My first experience with Gaillardia was from a packet of seeds Suzanne had bought from an Ebay seller from Canada before she passed in March 2009. She had bought A LOT of seeds for me to plant and among them was a packet that said “Gaillardia”. I assume they were Gaillardia aristata as they were a taller species and continued coming up through 2012. I suppose it is possible they could have been G. x grandiflora or possibly even G. pulchella that self-sowed.
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Red’ seedlings on 7-3-12, #107-57.
I bought a packet of Gaillardia ‘Arizona Red’ from Stokes Seeds in the spring of 2012.
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Red’ from Stokes Seeds on 9-24-12, #119-21.
Too bad I had to borrow a friend’s camera and I didn’t know the brightness settings on his camera hadn’t been set. I mentioned it to him and he said he never used the camera before.
The Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Red’ from Stokes did very well and produced a lot of flowers. I don’t know if they would have returned or not because I sold the mansion and moved back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013.
<<<<2015>>>>
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’ on 5-21-15, #260-12.
Then, in 2015, I bought a pot from Wagler’s Greenhouse who’s label said Gaillardia aristata ‘Arizona Sun’.
You know how labeling is, so the species name is incorrect. It should read Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun.’ The Arizona Series is a trademark of Benary Seeds.
Benary is a 175-year-old company, still family-owned in its 6th generation. Click on the Benary link below for further information. When you get to the website, click on “company”. Very interesting and amazing this company survived for SIX generations!
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’ on 6-27-15, #270-25.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)
Origin: HYBRID
Zones: USDA Zones 2-11, depending on species and cultivar
Size: 12-26” depending on species or cultivar
Light: Sun-part shade
Soil: Well-drained soil
Water: Average, drought tolerant
Propagation: Seed, division
Uses: Bedding, borders, cut flowers
Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’ on 7-19-16, #274-33.
The Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Arizona Sun’ returned in the spring of 2016 but not in 2017.
The link to the Missouri Botanical Garden takes you to their Plant Finder which lists 2 species and 8 cultivars of Gaillardia.
Gaillardia does much better if deadheaded but you need to either save the seed or leave some for self-sowing. I usually cut them off, leave them on the ground, and break the cone apart. There are no guarantees the seed will come up, though.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know. You can also email me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.
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