# Gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/gaillardia · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/gaillardia)

Gaillardia · غيردية  
flower · exotic · family Asteraceae · grows 0.3–0.6 m tall, 0.25–0.45 m wide · fast growth  
full sun · low water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 4 · salt 4 · drought 4 · shade 1 · ease of care 4  
Sow or plant: Oct–Mar  
Uses: bedding, groundcover, container  
Garden styles: desert-modern, manicured

## Also known as

- **English:** Blanket flower, Blanketflower, Firewheel, Indian blanket, Indian blanket flower, Annual gaillardia
- **Botanical synonyms:** *Gaillardia × grandiflora*
- **Arabic (العربية):** غيردية
- **Urdu (اردو):** گل نمدا (Gul namda)
- **Persian (فارسی):** رعنای زیبا (Ra'na-ye ziba)

Red-and-gold daisies from the sandy plains of North America: sources rate it highly heat-, drought- and salt-tolerant, so it suits Dubai's sandy ground, planted in the cool season.

## About

Meet gaillardia, the daisy that looks as if it was dipped in two paints. Each flower is a wheel of petals, red at the centre and gold at the tips, around a dark button, and a bed of them in low winter sun glows like a woven blanket, which is where the name blanket flower comes from.

Its habitat is the unlikely thing for a flower this showy. Wikipedia places it on sandy plains and deserts in the southern United States and northern Mexico, and says it does best in a dry, hot climate in full sun. NC State rates it highly drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant. Those are the three things Dubai tests most, and few bedding flowers are described that way.

The mood is warm and unfussy rather than formal: a loose edge of red and gold along a gravel path, a row of pots in the sunniest corner, a bed that gets the least water and the most light. It wants good drainage and not much fuss.

Gaillardia pulchella is a short-lived perennial or annual in the daisy family, Asteraceae, native from the southern and central United States to northern Mexico. Wikipedia describes it as growing in sandy plains and deserts, reaching 60 cm, with a high drought tolerance, and doing best in a dry, hot climate in full sun. It is also the parent of Gaillardia × grandiflora, the garden hybrid that many nurseries sell as the blanket flower. NC State lists its names as blanket flower, firewheel, Indian blanket flower and annual or bedding gaillardia.

NC State describes it as an erect, rapidly growing, clumping annual or perennial, 30 to 60 cm tall and 25 to 30 cm wide, tolerating most garden soils including sand if they drain well. It rates the plant 'highly drought, heat, and salt tolerant', and says it does not survive waterlogged soil. UF/IFAS agrees, rating drought tolerance as high and salt tolerance as good, noting it suits very well-drained, light soil in full sun, even along beaches on the dunes, and warning that overwatering can cause root rot. That is a good match for Dubai's sandy, salty conditions, with the limit that the plant wants drainage and a light hand.

We found no Dubai source on how gaillardia performs through a Dubai summer, or on when Dubai Municipality plants it, and no dedicated gaillardia listing turned up at Plantsworld, Plantshop.me or Green Souq in our searches. A Noon listing for a mixed flower-seed pack includes 'Dwarf Gaillarda', so seed is the likely route. The sources point to a cool-season planting, when the soil is cooling and the plant can establish before the heat, so the windows below are our reading of that, not a Dubai Municipality list.

## Through the year

Gaillardia's Dubai year, as we read the sources, starts in the cool season. Seed or nursery plants go in from October to March, once the weather has settled: October's mean high is 35.9 °C, so plant in the evening and shade new plants for the first week. Flowers build through the winter and carry on through spring, when mean highs sit between 24 and 34 °C from January to April. NC State rates the plant highly heat-tolerant, but we found no UAE report on summer, and June to August highs of 40 to 42 °C are well beyond the conditions the sources describe, so expect it to slow and plan on replanting from autumn.

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oct–Mar | Plant: Cool-season planting window | Our reading of the cool season: UF/IFAS gives March for zones 9 to 11 in the US, and Dubai's March mean high is 28.9 °C. No Dubai Municipality list names gaillardia. |
| Jan–May | Flowers: Red-and-gold flowers from winter into spring | NC State describes flowering from spring to the first frost; Dubai has no frost, so the end is set by heat and watering. |
| Dec–Mar | Pest watch: Aphids and thrips; root rot if overwatered | NC State names aphids and thrips; UF/IFAS warns that overwatering can cause root rot. |
| Jun–Sep | Heat stress: Summer is untested in Dubai | Sources rate it heat-tolerant but we found no UAE report; Dubai's mean highs are 40 to 42 °C. Water at the base and expect slowing. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Not tested in Dubai: if you keep plants, water deeply but rarely, at the base, and never on a lawn schedule.
- **Watering in winter:** Water once or twice a week by drip, less after rain; the soil should dry between waterings.
- **While establishing:** Keep the soil evenly moist for germination and the first two weeks, as NC State advises, then taper; shade new plants for a few days in a hot October spell.
- **Soil:** Light, very well-drained sandy soil, which suits Dubai's sandy ground, in full sun. Avoid heavy or waterlogged ground; do not over-enrich it.
- **Feeding:** Very little: a slow-release feed at planting is enough. Rich soil and frequent feeding give leaf rather than flower.
- **Pruning:** Deadhead spent flowers to keep new ones coming; cut leggy plants back by about a third if flowering slows.
- **Planting:** Plant seed or nursery plants 30 to 45 cm apart (UF/IFAS gives 12 to 18 inches) in full sun, with the crown level with the soil.
- **Pests and problems:** Aphids; Thrips; Root rot in wet soil
- **Toxicity:** No ASPCA entry for gaillardia (blanket flower) turned up in our search, and NC State gives no toxicity statement, so we cannot say it is pet-safe. Treat with caution: keep pets and children from chewing it, and do not use it as an edible or medicinal plant.

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- NC State rates it highly drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant
- Tolerates sand if it drains well, which suits Dubai's ground
- Bold red-and-gold flowers that read from across a garden
- NC State describes it as rapid-growing and clumping
- Few serious pests; NC State notes only aphids and thrips

**Cons**
- Does not survive waterlogged soil, and overwatering causes root rot
- Short-lived: treat it as seasonal and replant each year
- We found no UAE source on summer performance in Dubai
- No dedicated listing found at the Dubai nurseries we searched

## Common mistakes

- Planting it on the lawn's irrigation line. NC State says it does not survive waterlogged soil, and UF/IFAS warns that overwatering can cause root rot.
- Feeding it like a bedding annual. It is a plant of sandy plains, and rich soil gives leaf instead of flowers.
- Planting it in shade. It is described as a full-sun plant, and flowers are sparse where light is poor.
- Planting in a hot October spell without shade. October's mean high is 35.9 °C, so plant in the evening and shade new plants for the first week.
- Expecting a permanent plant. It is short-lived, so plan to replant or let it self-sow each year.

## Good to know

- The garden hybrid Gaillardia × grandiflora, which Wikipedia says has G. pulchella as one parent, is also sold as blanket flower, so a plant labelled that way may be the hybrid.
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions notes recent research suggests G. pulchella is native to the south-western United States rather than Florida.
- NC State rates it highly drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant, and UF/IFAS rates salt tolerance as good, which fits Dubai better than most bedding flowers; neither source tests it in the UAE.
- Wikipedia gives common names firewheel, Indian blanket, Indian blanketflower and sundance.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Gravel-garden edging, Winter bedding, Container colour, Dry border

Give gaillardia the sunniest, best-drained strip you have: a gravel edge, a raised bed, the front of a border or a terracotta bowl. Keep it off the lawn's sprinkler zone and on a drip line, since the sources agree that wet soil is its main enemy. Plant it in drifts of one or two colours, with taller plants behind and low edging at the front. It looks most at home beside other sun-lovers such as gazania and agave, and least at home beside moisture-loving annuals.

- [Gazania](https://plantguide.ae/plants/gazania.md): Gazania is another low, sun-loving daisy from a dry climate, in matching warm tones, and the same drip-line, free-draining bed suits both.
- [Marigold](https://plantguide.ae/plants/marigold.md): Marigold shares the warm orange and gold palette and the October planting window, and gives upright mounds beside gaillardia's wheels.
- [Portulaca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/portulaca.md): Portulaca is a low, drought-tolerant carpet that fills the gaps at the front of the bed.
- [Agave](https://plantguide.ae/plants/agave.md): Agave's blue-grey rosettes give a cool contrast to the red and gold, and both need sharp drainage and little water.

## FAQ

**When should I plant gaillardia in Dubai?**  
Our reading of the sources is the cool season, from October to March, so the plant can establish before the heat. No Dubai Municipality or UAE nursery source gives a date for it, so check with your nursery.

**Is gaillardia drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant?**  
NC State rates Gaillardia pulchella as highly drought-, heat- and salt-tolerant, and UF/IFAS rates drought tolerance as high and salt tolerance as good. Neither tested it in the UAE, and it still needs very well-drained soil.

**Will gaillardia survive a Dubai summer?**  
We could not find a UAE source. The plant is rated highly heat-tolerant, but Dubai's June to August mean highs are 40 to 42 °C, so plan on replanting each autumn and treat any plants that survive as a bonus.

**What is the difference between gaillardia, blanket flower and firewheel?**  
They are the same group of plants: Gaillardia is the genus name, and blanket flower and firewheel are common names for Gaillardia pulchella. Nurseries also sell the hybrid Gaillardia × grandiflora as blanket flower.

**Is gaillardia safe for pets?**  
We found no ASPCA entry for it, so we cannot say it is pet-safe. Treat with caution and keep pets from chewing it.

## Related plants

[Gazania](https://plantguide.ae/plants/gazania.md) · [Marigold](https://plantguide.ae/plants/marigold.md) · [Portulaca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/portulaca.md) · [Zinnia](https://plantguide.ae/plants/zinnia.md) · [Coreopsis](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coreopsis.md)

## Photos

![Firewheel flower with a red centre and yellow-tipped petals beside a bud](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Firewheel_or_Indian_Blanket_--_Gaillardia_pulchella.jpg)  
Photo: Jim Evans / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Firewheel_or_Indian_Blanket_--_Gaillardia_pulchella.jpg))

![Gaillardia pulchella flower in dry grass](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Gaillardia_pulchella.jpg)  
Photo: Apanasevich Maxim / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaillardia_pulchella.jpg))

![Indian blanket flowers in a meadow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Gaillardia_pulchella_%2814937942328%29.jpg)  
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaillardia_pulchella_(14937942328).jpg))

![Gaillardia pulchella flowers near a beach at Horn Point Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Gaillardia_pulchella_at_Horn_Point_Park.jpg)  
Photo: Fritzmann2002 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaillardia_pulchella_at_Horn_Point_Park.jpg))

## Sources

- [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Gaillardia pulchella](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gaillardia-pulchella/)
- [UF/IFAS Extension: Gaillardia pulchella, blanket flower (FPS216)](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP216)
- [UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Gaillardia](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/gaillardia/)
- [Wikipedia: Gaillardia pulchella](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella)
- [Kew WCVP, the checklist behind POWO (read via GBIF): Gaillardia pulchella](https://www.gbif.org/species/206649343)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: غيردية](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9)
- [Persian Wikipedia: رعنای زیبا (سرده)](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A7%DB%8C_%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%A8%D8%A7_(%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87))
- [Urdu Wikipedia: گل نمدا](https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%AF%D9%84_%D9%86%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7)
- [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (WMO 1991-2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)
- [Acacia Garden Center: Dubai Garden Calendar](https://acaciagardencenter.com/blogs/blog/dubai-planting-calendar)
- [Noon UAE: seeds and plants combo, includes Dwarf Gaillarda (listing title, checked 2026-10-29)](https://www.noon.com/uae-en/seeds-and-plants-combo-flower-seeds-sweet-alyssum-calendula-dwarf-gaillarda-eschscholzia-ornamental-kale-chrysanths-yellow-chrysanths-white-clarkia-dahlia-beauty-mixed-kitchen-garden-pack/ZF548DEB2EF9D27FB76B8Z/p/)