Mesa Red Blanket Flower

Mesa Red Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mesa Red') is a compact herbaceous perennial, 30 to 40cm high and 50 to 60cm wide, with slender green leaves and warm red daisies that have a raised red eye. It flowers generously through the warmer months, takes frost and dry spells in its stride, and is quick to give colour in pots and borders.

Why you'll love it

• Warm red flowers. Soft red daisies with a raised red centre bring a friendly, warm colour to a bed.
• Flowers from summer to autumn. Blooms run through summer and autumn, especially if you clip over to deadhead once in a while.
• Cold hardy and drought tolerant. It is frost hardy, and drought tolerant once established.
• Unfussy about soil. It is easy-going about soil, as long as it drains.
• Quick colour. Fast growth gives colourful pots and borders quickly, especially with regular water and feeding.

Where it works best

Mixed borders. Plant 45cm apart for a continuous band of red at the front of a sunny border.

Pots and containers. A compact size suits pots, where regular watering and feeding keep the flowers coming.

Hot, dry, sunny places and cottage gardens. It handles hot, dry sunny positions and fits easily into cottage planting schemes.

Growing Mesa Red Blanket Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, and it loves heat, though growth may slow in hot midsummer.

Soil. Free-draining soil in full sun suits it. It is unfussy about soil, and does not mind poor, dry ground.

Water and feed. Mulch with organic matter and water until the plants are established, and in dry spells. Feed during flowering for the best show.

Pruning. Regular removal of dead flowers will prolong flowering, so clip over now and then through the season.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Mesa Red Blanket Flower as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. It also comes in 140mm pots in packs of 10. The pots suit a group planting that wants to flower quickly, while tubes are the way to fill a larger bed over a season. Plant in full sun and water in well.

Because Mesa Red Blanket Flower tube stock comes from our grower, it is not always available, and the tube shows as sold out whenever the grower has none. The notify button on the page emails you the day it is back. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Flowering plants
• Plants for full sun
• Frost hardy plants
• Perennials for a cottage garden

Common questions

How long does Mesa Red flower?

Through summer and autumn, and it often starts in spring. Deadheading prolongs the display.

Is it frost hardy?

Yes, it is frost hardy and drought tolerant once established, so it copes with cold winters and dry spells.

How big does it get?

About 30 to 40cm high and 50 to 60cm wide. Plant 45cm apart for a continuous border.