Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Gaillardia aristata

Blanket-flower · Common Gaillardia · Brown-eyed Susan · Blanket Flower · Common Blanketflower

Family AsteraceaeGenus Gaillardia

Yellow daisies with deep red centers, a bee on one
FlowerAlvesgasparCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous perennialPlant Finder
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
1-3 ft30-90 cmPlant Finder
Spread
1-2 ft30-60 cmPlant Finder
Flower
Showy, good cut; yellow rays with a brownish-purple diskPlant Finder
Blooms
May to OctoberPlant Finder
Native range
Northwestern North AmericaPlant Finder
Hardiness zones
3-8Plant Finder
Note
Roots rot in soil that does not drain, especially through a wet summer.Plant Finder

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunPlant Finder
Soil
Average, dry to medium, well-drainedPlant Finder
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Dry to mediumPlant Finder
Watering
Dry to mediumPlant Finder

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension.

Worth knowing

  • In several Salish dialects it is called spring salmon's eye, after the Chinook salmon. The genus honors an early French botanist, Gaillard de Charetonneau. Wikipedia: Gaillardia aristata

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 30, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 6 days to germinate.

100% germination in 3–6 days.

Fresh seed or six months' dry storage at 70 or 40 -- it made no difference.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, GaillardiaPublic domain
Show the original text
Gaillardia (Asteraceae). G. aristata germ. 70(100% in 3-6 d) and 40(60% in 2-8 w)-70(40% in 1-3 d) using either fresh seed or seed DS -6 m at 70 or 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Gaillardia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    60% germinated at 40 itself, in 2-8 weeks.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    A further 40% in 1-3 days after the move.

Germination happens during step 2, in 56 days.

60% germination in 14–56 days.

Slower and no better than sowing straight at 70.

This source doesn't state how long step 1 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, GaillardiaPublic domain
Show the original text
Gaillardia (Asteraceae). G. aristata germ. 70(100% in 3-6 d) and 40(60% in 2-8 w)-70(40% in 1-3 d) using either fresh seed or seed DS -6 m at 70 or 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Gaillardia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

Add to My Garden

View species page