Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower

Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mesa Yellow') is a compact, sun-loving perennial that covers itself in clear golden daisies through the warmer months. It stays neat at 30cm to 40cm tall and 50cm to 60cm wide, so it suits the front of a border or a pot. It has won an All-America Selections award and a FleuroSelect gold medal, and once settled it takes heat, dry spells and frost in its stride.

Why you'll love it

• Months of clear yellow. Bright daisy flowers with a raised yellow centre open right through summer and into autumn.
• Compact and tidy. A low mound of slender green leaves, about 40cm tall at most, keeps a border neat and leaves room for taller neighbours.
• Built for hot, dry spots. It loves full sun, is drought tolerant once established and is frost hardy, a useful combination in a flowering perennial.
• Easy about soil. It grows in most garden soils as long as drainage is good, and asks for very little attention.
• Quick to fill out. Growth is fast, so borders and pots fill with colour quickly.

Where it works best

Borders and cottage gardens. Plant 40cm apart. The mounds meet within a season and form a continuous band of yellow in front of taller perennials and shrubs.

Hot, dry, sunny positions. Gravel gardens, north-facing beds and dry verges are where many perennials sulk. Blanket flower is at its best there.

Pots. One plant fills a 30cm pot. Keep it in full sun and remove spent flowers often, and it blooms for months.

Growing Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is the key. It is frost hardy and drought tolerant, so it suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and it handles subtropical summers where drainage is sharp. Growth may slow in the heat of midsummer, then pick up again as nights cool.

Soil. Free-draining soil is the one real requirement. On heavy clay, mound the bed up or work in coarse sand and compost, because wet roots in winter cause most losses.

Water and feed. Mulch with organic matter and water until the plants are established, then only through dry spells. Feed during flowering to keep the blooms coming.

Pruning. Remove dead flowers regularly, because this prolongs flowering. A light clip over every few weeks deals with a whole bed at once, and any tired stems can be cut back after the main flush.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly, and in 140mm pots in packs of 10. Tubes suit a border or a drift of colour planted in numbers, while the potted packs start with more growth. Either way plants arrive small and upright, settle quickly in warm soil and begin flowering as the weather warms.

Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and 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

• Drought tolerant plants for dry gardens
• Plants for full sun
• Perennial plants for a cottage garden
• Plants for pots and containers

Common questions

How long does it flower?

Through the warmer months, with the main show in summer and autumn. Removing spent flowers keeps it going, and flowering may ease off in the heat of midsummer before resuming.

Does it survive frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and drought tolerant once established. It dislikes wet winter soil more than it dislikes cold, so drainage matters most.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. Use a 30cm pot of free-draining potting mix in full sun, water when the surface dries and feed while it is flowering.