MESA™ 'Red' Blanket Flower

MESA™ ‘Red’ is an upright, first-year-flowering blanket flower selected for consistently red blooms. It forms a well-branched mound and brings a strong, single-color accent to sunny borders and mixed containers. ## Garden Use Allow roughly 14–16 inches of height and 20–22 inches of spread. The MESA series is fairly uniform in habit and flowering time, while ‘Red’ flowers earlier than the other MESA colors in the breeder’s production trials. Its clear red flowers work well in repeated groups or alongside grasses and pale-flowered perennials. ## Growing Conditions Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. PanAmerican Seed lists the cultivar for USDA zones 5a–10b and describes established MESA plants as very drought tolerant. Blanket flowers prefer drainage and may not persist in heavy soil that remains wet in winter. ## Maintenance Water regularly while new plants establish, then avoid keeping the root zone saturated. Remove faded flowers for a tidier appearance and continued bloom; cut back old stems after flowering. [PanAmerican Seed](https://www.panamseed.com/Products/027700915004463/gaillardia-mesa-red/) documents the cultivar’s dimensions, hardiness, upright habit, and earlier flowering; [University of Wisconsin Extension](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/blanket-flower-gaillardia-spp/) summarizes blanket-flower care and seasonal bloom.