Want to learn more about Indian Blankets? Read on to find out about the beautiful Indian Blanket flower grown in the United States…
The Indian blankets are beautiful flowers native to the central United States area. The botanical name for this flower is Gaillardia pulchella and is a violet -red with outer florets in yellow. This unique composition has given it different names like Sundance and Firewheel. This plant flowers annually and has a very short life span.
Description of the Indian Blankets or Sundance Flower
The Indian blankets have straight stems with down on them and grow up to 2 feet in height. The basal leaves alternate and are approximately 8 cm long at the maximum length. They have smooth or jagged edges. The flower has a similar structure to that of a daisy and the inflorescence is approximately 4 to 6 cm in diameter.
They are brightly colored red, orange and yellow flowers with the circular center in a reddish violet hue. Some of the varieties have a completely red flower which has only tips of the petals ending in yellow. This flower is known to bloom in summer and last until early fall but in other areas it blooms throughout the year.
Indian Blankets in Central United States
The good thing about the Indian blankets is that this plant is very tough and can grow in different kinds of soil. However, it is known to grow best and prosper in soil which is sandy and drains well. It is extremely hardy and blooms in hot dry climates and requires little water. The reason why it’s called the Indian blanket is because it can grow like a carpet and bloom across fields and highways for miles during the period of summer and late fall. It seems that the entire landscape is blanketed by these vibrant red, orange and yellow flowers.
Quite a few of the cultivars have been selected in this species and one of the most popular ones is the Sundance which has flower heads with yellow and red alternating patterns. Due to its bright hues the flower adapts to the sun and blooms across the United States in the central region starting from southern Canada to Mexico.
Cultivating Indian Blankets
The Indian blanket blooms during midsummer and all the way to mid fall it has a beautiful fuzzy texture and is a target for butterflies, bees and birds. This is one of the main reasons that the plant blooms for miles across the landscape.
It requires regular but minimum quantity of water for it to bloom and survive and is quite drought hardy. You can propagate it by sowing the seeds in fall in the outdoors or by planting them in building containers during winter months in an un-heated greenhouse. If you want to collect the seeds then you must allow them to dry on the plants and then harvest them. They bloom best in the full Sun and are quite hardy with continuous exposure to sunlight. The plant is best with 6 to 10 hours of sunlight every day and it is recommended not to plant too many because it propagates very fast across the landscape.
