We are open and are taking orders for Fall 2021 shipping. Most live plants ship according to our Fall Shipping Schedule.
Please review the schedule and the details on our product pages for more information.
Arizona Sun Blanket Flower Seeds
Begins the bloom season a month early
- Genus: 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
- Additional Characteristics: Butterfly Lovers, Easy Care Plants, Flower, Long Bloomers, Repeat Bloomer
- Bloom Color: Dark Yellow, Orange
- Foliage Color: Medium Green
- Light Requirements: Full Sun
- Moisture Requirements: Moist, well-drained
- Resistance: Cold Hardy, Deer Resistance, Disease Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
- Soil Tolerance: Normal, loamy, Sandy
- Uses: Beds, Border, Containers, Cut Flowers, Ornamental, Outdoor
- show more
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.
Gaillardia Germination Information
Gaillardia is the botanical name for Blanket Flower
How to Sow Gaillardia: - Sow seeds indoors at 68-70° with NO cover
- Expect germination in 10-15 days
- Seeds can be sown outdoors after danger of frost and all summer long up to 2 months before first frost
- If started early, flowers will be produced within the first year
- When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed
How to Grow Gaillardia:
Transplanting: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves
Spacing: Plant out 8-15 inches apart in full sun and a light, sandy, well-drained soil
Soil: Plant tolerant of poor soils
Temperature: Plant tolerant of drought and heat
Additional Care: Remove faded flowers to prolong the flowering season and at the end of summer cut back the entire plant to 6 inches tall. This hard pruning encourages basal growth that will help the plant to overwinter
Appearance and Use:
This is the perennial relative of G. pulchella that is also grown in borders and containers and for cut flower arrangements. A prolific show, plants flower from summer to frost. Plants form upright mounds 30 inches tall to 18 inches wide. Stems can be either erect or sprawling. The daisy-like flower heads are 3-4 inches in diameter and are bright yellow, red, orange, or yellow with red bands. The 4-6 inch long leaves are gray-green and coarsely toothed
About Gaillardia:
Pronunciation: ga-lar’de-å gran-di-flôr’-å
Lifecycle: Perennial
Origination: Asteraceae, native to North America
Common Name: Blanket Flower
Planting garlic, onions, chives, lavender, rosemary, and sage around rabbit-susceptible plants will repel rabbits. Deer repellent plants include: lavender, onion, catnip, sage, chives, garlic, spearmint, and thyme. Be sure to strategically place these repellent plants around and in between rabbit and deer-susceptible plants. Also, place some along the property line and especially at key points the rabbits and deer are using as entryways, which can even deter them from coming onto your property.
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
Park Seed offers some of the highest-quality vegetable and flower seeds available in the industry, and there are a number of reasons for this.First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
To make sure we are providing the best seed product possible and that our customers will get the highest number of seedlings from every packet, we conduct our own germination testing and have quality-control measures in every stage of our seed-handling operation. We hold ourselves to standards that are at or above federal and state standards, including testing specific crops more frequently than recommended by federal guidelines. And in order to maintain our organic certification, we welcome Clemson University to inspect us annually to make sure our organic seeds, which are stored and processed separately, are being handled properly.
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
And many of our seeds are packed in our exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil packets, which are lined to keep moisture out, so the seeds stay fresher for longer. We carefully pack very tiny or fragile seeds in crush-proof vials to ensure safe delivery to your home. Some of the small seeds are also offered as "pellets" (have a clay coating) to make sowing and growing easier.
When it comes to the kinds of seeds we offer, we are constantly seeking something new and provide many unique and hard-to-find varieties from all around the world. Our on-staff horticulturists are ready and available to share their expertise to help you with the success of these seeds, so you can grow a beautiful and productive garden!
It is important for our customers to know that Park Seed does not sell GMO or treated seed.
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
Extremely small seed such as Petunias and Pentas are shipped as pelleted seed to make them easier to handle and sow. Pelleted seed are coated, usually with clay, to make them larger in size. After sowing, the coating will dissolve when wet and the seed will germinate. Pelleted seeds are shipped in vials placed inside seed packets, which protects them from being crushed. When sowing, be certain to use thoroughly moistened soil, to be sure that the clay coating absorbs enough moisture to dissolve. For sowing pelleted Petunia seeds, place the seeds directly on the soil surface and do not cover with soil, as light aids in the germination.
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.
Gaillardia Germination Information
Gaillardia is the botanical name for Blanket Flower How to Sow Gaillardia: - Sow seeds indoors at 68-70° with NO cover
- Expect germination in 10-15 days
- Seeds can be sown outdoors after danger of frost and all summer long up to 2 months before first frost
- If started early, flowers will be produced within the first year
- When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed
How to Grow Gaillardia:
Transplanting: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves
Spacing: Plant out 8-15 inches apart in full sun and a light, sandy, well-drained soil
Soil: Plant tolerant of poor soils
Temperature: Plant tolerant of drought and heat
Additional Care: Remove faded flowers to prolong the flowering season and at the end of summer cut back the entire plant to 6 inches tall. This hard pruning encourages basal growth that will help the plant to overwinter
Appearance and Use:
This is the perennial relative of G. pulchella that is also grown in borders and containers and for cut flower arrangements. A prolific show, plants flower from summer to frost. Plants form upright mounds 30 inches tall to 18 inches wide. Stems can be either erect or sprawling. The daisy-like flower heads are 3-4 inches in diameter and are bright yellow, red, orange, or yellow with red bands. The 4-6 inch long leaves are gray-green and coarsely toothed
About Gaillardia:
Pronunciation: ga-lar’de-å gran-di-flôr’-å
Lifecycle: Perennial
Origination: Asteraceae, native to North America
Common Name: Blanket Flower
Planting garlic, onions, chives, lavender, rosemary, and sage around rabbit-susceptible plants will repel rabbits. Deer repellent plants include: lavender, onion, catnip, sage, chives, garlic, spearmint, and thyme. Be sure to strategically place these repellent plants around and in between rabbit and deer-susceptible plants. Also, place some along the property line and especially at key points the rabbits and deer are using as entryways, which can even deter them from coming onto your property.
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
Park Seed offers some of the highest-quality vegetable and flower seeds available in the industry, and there are a number of reasons for this.First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
To make sure we are providing the best seed product possible and that our customers will get the highest number of seedlings from every packet, we conduct our own germination testing and have quality-control measures in every stage of our seed-handling operation. We hold ourselves to standards that are at or above federal and state standards, including testing specific crops more frequently than recommended by federal guidelines. And in order to maintain our organic certification, we welcome Clemson University to inspect us annually to make sure our organic seeds, which are stored and processed separately, are being handled properly.
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
And many of our seeds are packed in our exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil packets, which are lined to keep moisture out, so the seeds stay fresher for longer. We carefully pack very tiny or fragile seeds in crush-proof vials to ensure safe delivery to your home. Some of the small seeds are also offered as "pellets" (have a clay coating) to make sowing and growing easier.
When it comes to the kinds of seeds we offer, we are constantly seeking something new and provide many unique and hard-to-find varieties from all around the world. Our on-staff horticulturists are ready and available to share their expertise to help you with the success of these seeds, so you can grow a beautiful and productive garden!
It is important for our customers to know that Park Seed does not sell GMO or treated seed.
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
Extremely small seed such as Petunias and Pentas are shipped as pelleted seed to make them easier to handle and sow. Pelleted seed are coated, usually with clay, to make them larger in size. After sowing, the coating will dissolve when wet and the seed will germinate. Pelleted seeds are shipped in vials placed inside seed packets, which protects them from being crushed. When sowing, be certain to use thoroughly moistened soil, to be sure that the clay coating absorbs enough moisture to dissolve. For sowing pelleted Petunia seeds, place the seeds directly on the soil surface and do not cover with soil, as light aids in the germination.