perennial
Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun'
Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' is a perennial for gardens in zones 3–10. Expect 0.5–1 ft of height and 1–1.5 ft of spread; our lists space it 1.25 ft apart. It does best in full sun with little water once established. Expect red and yellow flowers in June to October. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Lean, well-drained soil; short-lived in heavy clay.
- Mature size
- 0.5–1 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.25 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jun–Oct · red and yellow
- Roles in a bed
- Filler, Edge
- Styles
- low water, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Not on the ASPCA list; contains sesquiterpene lactones that can irritate mouths. Marked toxic as a precaution.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- quart pot, typically $8–$14 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer until roots establish, then only during long dry spells.
- Pruning
- Deadhead to extend bloom; stop deadheading in September.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue'Salvia rosmarinus 'Tuscan Blue'shrub · zones 8–11
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillarisornamental grass · zones 6–11
- Mexican bush sageSalvia leucanthaperennial · zones 8–11
- Lily of the NileAgapanthus africanusperennial · zones 9–10
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'shrub · zones 2–7
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Spike speedwell 'Royal Candles'Veronica spicata 'Royal Candles'zones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Desert marigoldBaileya multiradiatazones 7–10 · flagged toxic to pets
- Blackfoot daisyMelampodium leucanthumzones 5–10 · flagged toxic to pets
- Variegated lilyturf 'Variegata'Liriope muscari 'Variegata'zones 6–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants