Blanket flowers are a long-time favorite for hot, dry perennial gardens and meadows. The flowers are daisy-like, with an ombre-like color arrangement from yellow to orange to maroon, though many modern cultivars are single-colored. Eyes range from brown, to maroon, to yellow, depending on the cultivar. Leaves are green to grey green, and either oval to oblong, slightly toothed to deeply lobed. Size varies with cultivars, between 12 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 30 inches wide. Companions well with salvia, agastache, and lavender.
Grow in well drained soil in full sun. Not particular about soil type, including poor or clay soils, as long as they are not wet. Extremely heat tolerant. Deadhead to maintain a tidy appearance, or let the flowers go to seed, adding to your garden, and feeding the birds. The seed heads are charming round balls and both flowers and seed heads make nice cut flowers. Will reseed in the garden, so deadhead if that thought bothers you.