WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Gaillardia aristata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water great blanket flower in California

In July on the north-central coast, established great blanket flower in loam needs a deep watering about every 22 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.5 gallons a week. Great blanket flower is a hairy, clumping perennial from the dry meadows and grasslands of western North America. Its yellow daisies with reddish purple centers open from late spring into fall. A taproot carries an established clump through hot, dry weather. Wet, heavy soil is the real danger, since poor drainage can rot the roots.

PerennialRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water great blanket flower, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for great blanket flower and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 2 to 3 inches down at the edge of a young clump means its root ball is ready for a soak
  • Gray-green leaves still limp in the cool of the morning, over dry soil, point to real thirst
  • Wilting in a long drought, with soil dry well below the surface, shows even this taprooted plant needs an extra soak
  • Yellowing, collapsing growth over soil that stays wet points to root rot, the main risk in poorly drained ground
  • White powdery patches on the leaves are powdery mildew, which more water will not fix

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump with drip or a slow hose, keeping the bristly leaves dry
  • Soak a new plant until water reaches the bottom of its root ball, then let the top few inches dry
  • Plant in sandy, loamy or rocky soil that drains fast, and build a low mound where heavy clay holds water
  • Keep thick organic mulch pulled back from the crown so the base dries between soakings
  • Widen the wet area as the clump spreads, and keep it out of beds watered for lawn or thirsty annuals

Through the seasons

Water a new plant through its first summer, until its taproot reaches well past the nursery root ball. After that it needs far less, with a deep soak during long dry spells. It blooms from late spring into fall, so summer soil checks matter most. If flowering stalls in summer, cutting the plant back can bring a fall flush. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS rates great blanket flower low water on the north-central coast and low water on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland, where summer checks matter more. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Great blanket flower is listed for containers, and its compact clump suits a wide pot with large drainage holes. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix rather than a rich one that holds water. In summer heat, check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days and water when it is dry there. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty the saucer, since a waterlogged pot invites root rot. Once flowering ends in fall, let the mix dry further between soakings and keep the pot out of steady rain.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Great Blanket Flower for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Great Blanket Flower as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Great Blanket Flower: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.310.78––
Feb0.21–0.320.87––
Mar0.35–0.461.3––
Apr0.47–0.561.61––
May0.58–0.641.95––
Jun0.64–0.692.29––
Jul0.64–0.792.51––
Aug0.6–0.742.33––
Sep0.5–0.61.86––
Oct0.35–0.461.33––
Nov0.19–0.330.9––
Dec0.12–0.260.68––
Year4.8–6.218.41––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like great blanket flower. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWoolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes great blanket flower, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water great blanket flower in summer?

In July, established great blanket flower in loam needs a deep watering about every 18 days on the south coast and about every 6 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does great blanket flower need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established great blanket flower needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for great blanket flower change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates great blanket flower separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Should I deadhead blanket flower?

It is not required. Removing spent flowers tidies the clump and can bring more bloom. If flowering stops in midsummer, cut the plant back to encourage a fall display.

Why is my blanket flower dying in clay soil?

Heavy clay that stays wet is the usual cause. This plant does poorly in overly moist clay, and poor drainage can lead to root rot. Replant on a mound of gritty soil, and water only after the soil dries several inches down.

Does blanket flower reseed?

Yes. It reseeds easily and can become weedy in a garden bed. Cut off spent heads before the seed ripens in late summer to limit seedlings. Leave a few if you want birds to feed on the seed heads.

Can blanket flower irritate skin?

Yes. Its stems, leaves and flower bracts are covered in stiff, bristly hairs that can irritate skin. Wear gloves when you cut, divide or deadhead it.

Is every blanket flower at the nursery this species?

No. Many plants sold as blanket flower are hybrids between this perennial and an annual relative. Those hybrids are popular but short lived. Look for Gaillardia aristata on the label if you want this species.

Do bees and butterflies visit blanket flower?

Yes. The flowers attract bees and butterflies, and birds visit the seed heads. Its long bloom season gives pollinators flowers from late spring into fall.

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Sources