Our Insecta-Flora seed contains legumes and brilliant wildflowers to create a natural insectary that attracts and supports the beneficial predatory insects while providing an alternate target for crop destroyers, drawing them into an insect ambush. This mix is typically used in ecological restoration projects, landscaping, or gardening efforts aimed at creating habitats that benefit both insects and plants. We thoughtfully selected wildflowers that provide a variety of bold and delicate blossoms; with both early and late blooming wildflowers for color through the growing season. This mix has been designed with special attention to balanced percentages of annuals and perennials.

The colors in bloom will vary at different times of the year, and depending on how much water and sunlight are available to the wildflowers. The colors which you will see at different times of the year will include: blues, purples, pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges.

The actual composition of wildflowers will vary from season to season and from year to year, but generally you will receive the following wildflowers in each order of this mix:
Achillea millefolium: White yarrow
Calendula officinalis: Calendula
Centaurea cyanus: Bachelor buttons
Clarkia unguiculata: Mountain garland
Collinsia heterophylla: Chinese houses
Coriandum sativum: Coriander
Eschscholzia californica: California poppy
Gypsophilia elegans: Baby’s breath
Lasthenia californica: Goldfields
Linum lewisii: Blue flax
Lobularia maritima: Sweet alyssum
Lotus corniculatus: Birdfoot trefoil
Lupinus succulentus: Arroyo lupine
Melilotus indica: Gopher stopper
Trifolium incarnatum: Crimson clover

This mix will make a great addition to any area of your landscape that you want to enhance the color with wildflowers that are not commonly found in typical store-bought seed mixes, as well as legumes. Many of the seeds in this mix have been hand-harvested from the wild and, until now, have only been available to professional and commercial buyers. Now you can have a beautiful, unique mix of wildflowers that will offer a sense of natural wildflower beauty and locally adapted native plant authenticity in your landscape.

This mix has been a real favorite for sprucing up the color in areas such as:
Meadows
Open fields
Cabin sites
Next to walk-ways
Flower gardens
Window boxes
Hillsides and other sloped areas
Any area with partial to full sun and available moisture (rainfall or irrigation).

This wildflower mix contains no grasses and no fillers. We pride ourselves on our professional-grade wildflower seeds. Many of our customers may want to partner this mix with low-growing grass. In these circumstances, we recommend sheep fescue. Sheep fescue is a low-growing grass that establishes quickly, helping fill in gaps between wildflowers and creating a meadow-like look. Because it’s a short growing bunchgrass, it won’t hide the beauty of the wildflowers. Sheep fescue is a great compliment to this wildflower mix. We recommend buying about a half pound of sheep fescue for every 2000 sq ft (1 lb.) of wildflower mix. This amount may be increased or decreased depending on your desired ratio of wildflowers to grass.

A native grass option could be our blue wildrye, sand dropseed, Idaho fescue, purple three-awn, bottlebrush squirreltail, and blue grama.

There are few plants that grow with such dominant brilliance as nasturtium. Known for its ability to grow with ease, it flourishes in pots, hanging baskets, and garden beds. This wildflower grows on creeping vines that easily spread, reaching quite extensive heights. The blooms range from red, orange, yellow, and white. Because of its delightful fragrance, nasturtium attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Some gardeners choose to use their nasturtium flowers as a food for their peppery, mustard-like taste. Nasturtium prefers full sun to partial shade and requires moderate watering.

One of the best ways to obtain a colorful, vibrant, and overall beautiful flower garden is to plant sweet peas. Ranging from 40 to 96 inches tall, sweet pea comes in a wide variety of colors, including pink, white, purple, red, and blue. It is an introduced annual native to the Mediterranean region. With a long bloom time from spring to fall, it will remain lively with moderate watering. The sweet pea is distinguished with its delicate winged blossoms that give off a heavy, delightful perfume. Prefers full sun to partial shade.

Scientific Name: Lathyrus odoratus

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

This native perennial can be found along waterways and roadsides east of the Rocky Mountains, and produces bursts of small pink and purple blossoms from spring to summer. It can reach a height of 2-6 feet. An aggressive spreader, so be sure to give it plenty of room or remove new shoots to keep it under control. Like other milkweed species, common milkweed is considered an important pollinator plant especially to the monarch butterfly.

Scientific Name: Asclepias syriaca

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Butterfly milkweed is a perennial wildflower native to a large portion of North America. It can grow up to two feet tall and has a bushy growth habit topped by large, bright-orange flowers. Blooms from June through September. It has good drought tolerance and prefers well-drained sandy soils. Like its name suggests, butterfly milkweed is especially good at attracting butterflies and other pollinators. Excellent choice for water-wise landscaping, pollinator gardens and native wildflower plantings.

Garden cosmos are an annual species that requires little water and full sun. Its showy pink symmetrical flowers cover the tall stalks of this species from summer to fall. It grows well on infertile, sandy soils, but is adaptable and tends to establish easily and grow quickly on most sites. It is recommended for roadsides, exposed slopes, fence lines, hedge rows, or background areas. It is an introduced species originating from Mexico.

Scientific Name: Cosmos bipinnatus

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Blanket Flower is a cool-season, short-lived perennial native to most of the western US, the upper Great Plains, around the Great Lakes, and parts of New England.

Its flowers are bright red toward the center and grow yellow near the tips, along with fuzzy, light green leaves. When established, it prefers full sun to partial shade and is relatively drought-tolerant.

It usually blooms from June to September and thrives along prairies, foothills, and roadsides. It also provides erosion control and beautification for any of these areas, turning them into stable and attractive environments. The Blanket Flower is also the state flower of Oklahoma.

Seeding rate: 5 lbs / Acre

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds

How to Grow Blanket Flower Patches in Your Garden/Pasture

While growing blanket flowers is relatively easy, they still require the same level of attention and care as any other plant. Below are a few recommendations and instructions for growing your blanket flower garden bed or pasture:

Preferred Amount of Light

While they can last in partial shade, blanket flower plants thrive best in a full-sun location with at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. This will ensure plenty of blooms throughout the late spring and into the late summer months.

Preferred Soil for Blanket Flowers

Blanket flowers can grow in sandy, loamy, or clay soils but are particularly suited to growing in well-drained soil. It can also grow in slightly acidic soils as well.

Preferred Temperatures

The Blanket Flower also grows best in moderate climates, particularly temperatures between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. However, its hardiness also allows the Blanket Flower to grow successfully in a wide variety of climates.

Preferred Length to Divide Blanket Flowers

Finally, you’ll want to ideally let your Blanket Flower plants grow 12 to 18 inches apart, allowing them to spread and form clumps of beautiful orange and yellow flowers.

6 Steps to Properly Planting Your Blanket Flowers

With these preferences in mind, here is a list of steps to take in order to plant your next batch of blanket flowers over the early summer or spring:

1. Pick the Right Spot: Find an area of your pasture or garden that offers plenty of sun exposure and well-draining soil.
2. Space Properly: Keep each plant 12 to 18 inches apart so they have room to grow and spread.
3. Dig/Sow: If you’ve started your seeds inside, excavate a hole that is roughly the same depth as the root ball of your blanket flower plant and two to three times wider. If you’re planting blanket flower seeds, then sow the seeds directly into your prepared garden soil bed.
4. Plant/Press: Put the plant in the hole and ensure the top of the root ball is at the same level as the soil surface. Fill the hole up and pat around it to make sure there are no leftover air pockets. For seeds, lightly press each seed into the soil — be sure not to bury them too deeply, as they will need light. Finally, add some water to help settle the planet and keep the soil moist to nourish the roots.
5. Mulch: To help trap moisture and regulate soil temperature, consider adding a layer of organic mulch around the base of the plant, such as compost, wood chips, or straw.
6. Watering: During the first several weeks of your plants’ initial establishment, you’ll want to keep the soil moist. After that, you may water it infrequently to encourage root growth.
7. Maintain: Finally, a few things to do over time to maintain your blanket flowers are removing dead flowers, cutting back over the early spring or late fall to ensure growth, and keeping an eye out for pests and powdery mildew.

What Does It Mean if Blanket Flowers Are “Drought Tolerant”?

While “drought resistant” refers to plants that can stand without water for long periods of time, “drought tolerant” plants are a step down from that same level of resilience. Instead, they are able to withstand less water than most other plants, but not for as long a period as “drought resistant” plants.

Fortunately, due to their native environments, the hardy perennial blanket flower is extremely drought tolerant. Unless it is suffering through hot summer temperatures in dry conditions, it can go with only one or two waterings a week.

Are There Other Types of Blanket Flowers?

Yes, a wide variety of Gaillardia plants are native across the United States, Canada, and throughout South America. Here are a few of the various kinds with details on how they differ from Gaillardia aristata:

• Gaillardia aestivalis – Another perennial with purplish, whitish, or yellow flowers.
• Gaillardia amblyodon – An annual flower with maroon flowers.
• Gaillardia x grandiflora – A hybrid between a tall perennial gaillardia and annual gaillardia with large ornamental blooms and orange flowers tipped with yellow.

Matched with other species of red, orange, or purple flowers and ornamental grasses, nearly any type of blanket flower species can produce a beautiful landscape.

What is The Difference Between “Gallardia aristata” and “Gaillardia pulchella”

While they are both from the same genus of flowering plants, Gaillardia aristata and Gaillardia pulchella are like oranges and lemons — they have as many similarities as differences.

Gaillardia aristata are known as Blanket Flowers and are short-lived perennials. On the other hand, Gaillardia pulchella, also known as Indian Blanket flowers, is an annual species. Thus, Indian Blanket Flowers die off each year, while Blanket Flowers grow again each sprint and with much shorter blooming periods.

These differences make the two species the right match for those looking to create a quality pollinator garden or pasture with beautiful, vibrant colors throughout the growing season.

Five Spot is an annual wildflower native to California. Like its name implies, the flowers of this plant are famous for their five spots, one on each petal, giving this low growing wildflower its unique look. This wildflower thrives in cooler weather, but can handle the heat if planted in shady areas. It prefers a well-drained soil and blooms abundantly starting in early spring. Five Spot makes a great ground cover when grown in masses.

This easy to grow annual wildflower is native to western North America, but is easily adapted throughout most regions of the United States. Bird’s Eye Gilia can grow up to three feet tall and is known to be a prolific bloomer. It produces an array of lavender and white flowers with golden centers. It prefers full sun, but can tolerate partial shade and does best in dry, well-drained soils. From spring until the first frost, this wildflower puts on a show, making it a great addition to wildflower mixes.

Clasping Coneflower is an annual wildflower native to the southeastern United States, but has spread throughout most of North America. It produces a single black, cone-shaped head with yellow petals that bloom from June through September and can grow up to two feet tall. It prefers full sun and can handle a wide range of soil types. Clasping Coneflower is also very drought tolerant, making this wildflower ideal for use along roads, meadows, hillsides, and waste areas.