Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Gaillardia, also known as Blanket Flower or the Firewheel, is native to the Americas. The plant is a member of the Aster family which also includes daisies and sunflowers. Gaillardia were one of the more than 200 plant varieties catalogued and described by Lewis and Clark during their famous expedition of 1804-1806. The plant is named for Gaillard de Charentonneau, a French magistrate who was a patron of botany. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, describes the gaillardia as, "A very handsome plant, naturally a perennial, but produces its flowers the first year from seed, if started early. It does not stand the winter without protection. It has large, beautiful crimson and yellow
View more
