2005 Fleuroselect Gold Medal

This is such an exciting breeding breakthrough for the Blanket Flower family that I hardly know where to begin explaining it! Until now, Blanket Flowers have needed a "vernalization" period to flower -- that is, they had to go through winter temperatures in order to begin the flowering process. Well, 'Arizona Sun' NEEDS NO VERNALIZATION. What this means for us as gardeners is that this plant blooms much, much earlier than other varieties (up to a month!), flowers very heavily even the first year, and sets masses and masses of blooms. As "side benefits," it's also uniform in size and leaf structure. You just won't believe the flower power of 'Arizona Sun' until you see it blooming -- and blooming, and blooming! -- in your garden!

The flowers are large, many-petaled, and lovely. Expect them to reach 4 inches wide and to crowd one another for space on compact plants 12 inches high and 10 inches wide. They begin blooming with the first warm weather of summer and won't quit until nipped by fall frost! NO wonder 'Arizona Sun' has received top honors on both sides of the Atlantic!

The plant size is uniform, too, which is great for large plantings. And if you've grown other Blanket Flowers from seed, such as 'Goblin', you'll be impressed by the way 'Arizona Sun's foliage looks identical from plant to plant. One of the odd things about Blanket Flowers is that the leaf shape sometimes varies greatly, so that when a large planting is out of bloom, it looks as though it's got 5 or 6 different species instead of just one variety! (We sometimes get calls from folks who have sown their 'Goblin' seeds and come up with wildly different looking plants. Once they bloom they all look alike, but when they're just leaves, you can really spot the differences in foliage shape and texture!) 'Arizona Sun' looks identical from plant to plant, making it suitable even for formal plantings.

Hardy from one end of the country to the other (zones 3-10), this native perennial is happy in any sun-soaked spot. It puts up with heat, humidity, cold, poor soil, and -- once it has built up a good root system in your garden -- drought. The flowers are lovely for cutting, and they make nice garden companions to other sun-loving natives, such as Coreopsis, Echinacea, and Yarrow.

Starting 'Arizona Sun' from seed is easy. Sow indoors or out, germinating at 70 to 75 degrees F and leaving the seeds uncovered. They will sprout within 5 to 10 days, and (if begun indoors) can be transplanted anytime after the seedlings have 2 sets of true leaves. (The first "leaves," actually cotyledons, will shrivel and fall off when the seedling is young.) 'Arizona Sun' will begin blooming 12 to 15 weeks after sowing -- unheard-of for a Blanket Flower and pretty darned quick for any perennial! Zones 3-10. Pkt is 25 seeds.