Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Common Blanket Flower bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Common Blanket Flower, Perennial Blanket Flower, Great-flowered Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata).

More about common blanket flower

About Common Blanket Flower

Gaillardia aristata · also called Common Blanket Flower, Perennial Blanket Flower · flowering

Gaillardia aristata is the native North American perennial blanket flower, producing large, bold daisy flowers in warm reds and yellows from early summer well into autumn. It is highly adaptable, thriving in hot, dry, sunny locations with lean, well-drained soils. An outstanding pollinator plant. Contains sesquiterpene lactones, so considered mildly toxic if ingested in quantity.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aster yellows: Leafhopper-transmitted phytoplasma causes green-coloured, distorted flowers and yellowing; destroy affected plants.

The reasons common blanket flower isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming common blanket flower traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding common blanket flower a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get common blanket flower to flower

Maximise sun. Give common blanket flower the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for common blanket flower and get the feeding right with the common blanket flower fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Common Blanket Flower flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full common blanket flower care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Common Blanket Flower blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my common blanket flower flower?

Common Blanket Flower blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make common blanket flower bloom?

Give common blanket flower the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does common blanket flower normally bloom?