Arizona Sun Blanket Flower Seeds (P) Pkt of 25 seeds

(P) Pkt of 25 seeds
Item #03250-PK-P1
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Description

Begins the bloom season a month early

All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2005

Fleuroselect Gold Medal Winner 2005

This is such an exciting breeding breakthrough for the blanket flower family that we hardly know where to begin explaining it. Until now, blanket flowers have needed a "vernalization" period to flower—that is, they had to go through winter temperatures in order to begin the flowering process. Well, Arizona Sun needs no vernalization. What this means for us as gardeners is that this plant blooms much, much earlier than other varieties (up to a month), flowers very heavily even the first year, and sets masses and masses of blooms. As "side benefits," it's also uniform in size and leaf structure. You just won't believe the flower power of Arizona Sun until you see it blooming—and blooming, and blooming—in your garden.

The flowers are large, many-petaled, and lovely. Expect them to reach 4 inches wide and to crowd one another for space on compact plants 12 inches high and 10 to 12 inches wide. They begin blooming in late spring and won't quit until nipped by fall frost. No wonder Arizona Sun has received top honors on both sides of the Atlantic.

The plant size is uniform, too, which is great for large plantings. And if you've grown other blanket flowers from seed, you'll be impressed by the way Arizona Sun's foliage looks identical from plant to plant. One of the odd things about blanket flowers is that the leaf shape sometimes varies greatly, so that when a large planting is out of bloom, it looks as though it's got 5 or 6 different species instead of just one variety. Arizona Sun looks identical from plant to plant, making it suitable even for formal plantings.

Hardy from one end of the country to the other (zones 3-10), this Native perennial is happy in any sun-soaked spot. It puts up with heat, humidity, cold, poor soil, and—once it has built up a good root system in your garden—drought. The flowers are lovely for cutting, and they make nice garden companions to other sun-loving Natives, especially the newcomers in the Arizona family, beautiful red shades and glowing apricot. Other great companions include coreopsis, echinacea, and yarrow.

Starting Arizona Sun from seed is easy. Sow indoors or out, germinating at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and leaving the seeds uncovered. They will sprout within 5 to 10 days, and (if begun indoors) can be transplanted anytime after the seedlings have 2 sets of true leaves. (The first "leaves," actually cotyledons, will shrivel and fall off when the seedling is young.) Arizona Sun will begin blooming 12 to 15 weeks after sowing—unheard-of for a blanket flower and pretty quick for any perennial.

Details

Skip Product Specs
Genus 2 Gaillardia
Species x grandiflora
Variety Arizona Sun
Item Form (P) Pkt of 25 seeds
Zone 3 - 10
Bloom Start To End Late Spring - Late Fall
Habit Upright
Seeds Per Pack 25
Plant Height 12 in
Plant Width 10 in - 12 in
Bloom Size 4 in

Product Review Summary

Based on 3 reviews
The average rating for this product is 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5/5.0

Customer Reviews

July 09, 2012

Fabulous!

This shopper rated the product 5 out of 5 stars

I live in Minnesota, and we get COLD winters and very warm summers. Planting these from seed last year was SO easy and I even got a few blooms. This year they're gorgeous! They are definately a showstopper when in bloom, so make sure to plant them where they can be shown off and not blend into other extremely showy plants. Mine had a nice bacdrop of peonies which were done blooming-they nicely stood out. I can't wait to plant more!

Ellen from MN
May 17, 2012

Compact Plant with Lots of Bright Blooms

This shopper rated the product 5 out of 5 stars

I grew these from seed last year and have them planted in full sun with little supplemental watering in the hot, humid Southeast and am pleased with the results. The plants are short and compact for blanket flowers, and bloom prolifically starting in late April here. They are a great addition for the front of my planting beds.

David K from SC
January 04, 2012

In zone 9A it virtually dies in the summer

This shopper rated the product 4 out of 5 stars

I think that it is a little too hot and humid for this plant. The base of the plant rots. Great flowers September thru June. Tolerated Floridas couple of freezes and continues blooming. The yellow (which is no longer available) isn't affected by the summer heat and humidity.

Judy from FL

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