Sun-yellow flowers from the North American prairie
Blanket Flower 'Aurea Pura' is a rarer, pure yellow selection of the Great Blanket Flower Gaillardia aristata. Unlike many classic Blanketflowers with red, orange or bicoloured flowers, 'Aurea Pura' shows a particularly clear, sunny yellow without a dark centre. The semi-double flowers sit on upright stems and shine from early summer well into autumn.
The perennial reaches about 60 cm in height and grows compact to loosely clump-forming. Its home lies in the vast prairie regions of North America, where Gaillardia aristata is adapted to sunny, dry and often rather poor locations. This very robustness makes 'Aurea Pura' a valuable plant for modern prairie beds, rock gardens and naturalistic plantings with low water requirements.
From June to October, new golden-yellow flowers appear continuously. Regularly removing faded flower heads encourages reblooming and keeps the plant attractive for a long time. The flowers are also well suited as cut flowers and bring a warm yellow tone to summer bouquets.
Long-flowering perennial for bees and butterflies
Blanket Flowers are valuable nectar and pollen plants. The open flowers of 'Aurea Pura' are visited by bees, wild bees, hoverflies, beetles and butterflies, providing a continuous flower supply over many weeks.
Gaillardia aristata is also interesting from a cultural-historical perspective. Various Indigenous peoples of North America traditionally used the species, among other things, as a medicinal, food and useful plant. Today it is mainly valued as a robust ornamental and pollinator plant, connecting its prairie origin with contemporary use in the naturalistic garden.
Sowing and care of Yellow Blanket Flower 'Aurea Pura'
Pre-cultivation can be started indoors or in the greenhouse from March to April. Scatter the seeds onto loose, well-drained seed compost, press them down lightly and cover them only very thinly with soil or sand. At around 18 to 22 °C, germination usually takes place within 12 to 21 days. Keep the substrate evenly moist during this time, but not wet.
From mid-May, as soon as no stronger frosts are expected, 'Aurea Pura' can also be sown directly outdoors. Prepare a loose, weed-free seedbed, sow the seeds shallowly, press them down lightly and cover them only with a wafer-thin layer of soil or sand. Keep evenly moist until germination. Depending on location and weather, direct sowing is possible into summer. After emergence, thin the young plants to a spacing of about 25 to 35 cm.
Pre-grown young plants can also be planted outdoors from mid-May. 'Aurea Pura' prefers a full-sun location with loose, well-drained, sandy-loamy soil. Heavy soils should be improved with sand or fine gravel so that excess water can drain away well.
Once established, Yellow Blanket Flower is well drought-tolerant and only needs moderate watering. Heavy fertilisation is not necessary and can even reduce flowering. Remove faded flowers regularly to prolong the flowering period. Cutting back in autumn supports compact new growth the following year.
The plant is reliably winter-hardy in Central Europe. In exposed locations, light protection with brushwood or mulch can be useful. The key to good overwintering is above all well-drained soil without winter waterlogging.
Other names
| Botanical name: |
Gaillardia aristata |
| French names: |
Gaillarde aristée, Gaillarde vivace |
| Spanish names: |
Gallardia, Gaillardia, Gallardia perenne |
| Italian names: |
Gagliarda perenne, Gaillardia perenne, Gaillardia |
| Dutch names: |
Vaste kokardebloem, Kokardebloem |
