Firewheel Heirloom Seeds (Gaillardia pulchella) Vibrant red and yellow daisy-like blooms; heat-tolerant native that blooms all season and feeds bees

Minimum: 50+ Seeds

Light Up the Garden with Fiery Color That Won’t Quit

If you want to grow something that sings summer from root to petal, Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) is your answer. Also known as Indian Blanket, this heirloom wildflower lights up the landscape with vivid red and golden-yellow blooms that dance like flames across the soil. Whether you’re a home gardener filling borders, a chef planting for pollinators, or a seed collector chasing color and legacy, Firewheel delivers beauty, biodiversity, and soul.

Blazing Color, Long Bloom, and Zero Fuss
This native wildflower thrives in heat, drought, and poor soils, exactly the kind of resilient plant we need in the modern garden. Each daisy-like flower bursts from silvery-green foliage in waves from early summer into fall. Expect plants to reach 12–24 inches tall, forming tidy mounds that are as easy to maintain as they are stunning to watch. The color isn’t just showy, it’s practical. Firewheel draws in bees, native pollinators, and beneficial insects by the dozens, helping everything around it thrive.

Multi-Purpose Beauty

• Ornamental: Use it in borders, meadows, rock gardens, and curbside strips where you want color with zero maintenance.

• Pollinator-Friendly: One of the best wildflowers for attracting bees and butterflies throughout the heat of summer.

• Cut Flower Potential: Stems hold well in arrangements.

• Permaculture and Forage: Perfect for dryland permaculture zones or low-water landscapes.

A Flower with Heritage
Firewheel is a true North American native, beloved by Indigenous peoples and early settlers alike. Its ability to bloom through heat and poor soil made it a favorite on the frontier and a staple in traditional prairie landscapes. As an heirloom species, it’s a seed worth saving, sharing, and protecting, every bloom is a piece of living history.

How to Grow Firewheel Like a Pro
Direct sow Gaillardia pulchella seeds in spring after danger of frost has passed, or start indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost date.

• Sunlight: Full sun (at least 6–8 hours daily)

• Soil: Prefers well-drained, sandy or rocky soil, does not like heavy clay

• Spacing: Plant 12 inches apart for best airflow and flower production

• Watering: Low once established; water only during long dry spells

• Zones: Best in USDA zones 3–10. Blooms as an annual in cooler climates and a short-lived perennial in warmer ones.

Deadhead spent blooms for continuous color, or leave them on to self-sow and feed birds with their seed heads. Plants are deer-resistant, and even when they're not in bloom, the tidy mounds add texture to the landscape.

Why Wait? Let the Fire Bloom.
There’s something deeply satisfying about watching bees tumble across fiery petals while the rest of the garden wilts in the heat. Firewheel isn’t just a flower, it’s a celebration of resilience, color, and life. Add it to your seed cart today and let the season blaze.