Focus on a Native - Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), also known as Firewheel, is a striking wildflower commonly found throughout the Texas Hill Country. This colorful annual belongs to the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and often forms brilliant swaths of red and yellow blooms that appear to blanket hillsides in spring and early summer. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers calcareous soils with good drainage. Its natural range extends from western South Dakota through Kansas and Louisiana, westward to Colorado and Arizona, and south into Oaxaca, Mexico. In Texas, Gaillardia pulchella and Gaillardia amblyodon are the only annual species in the genus; other Texas species are perennial.
Indian Blanket forms a bushy plant typically reaching 1–2 feet in height. Each plant produces solitary flower heads about two inches across, borne on long stems. The ray flowers are typically red with yellow tips and have three lobes at their ends. Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and may be lobed or coarsely toothed.
Indian Blanket flowers provide a valuable nectar source for bees and butterflies and are moderately resistant to deer browsing. Click HERE for more information.


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Bulletin Board

  • Comal Master Gardener High School Senior Scholarship Applications.  Click HERE.
  • The Spring 2026 Seminar, From the Ground Up, is Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.  Registration is closed for this year, but click HERE for the details.
  • Click HERE to read the February message from CMG President, Jill Lliteras.

Herb of the Month:  Ginger

Red Ginger, Alpinia purpurata by CMG Vicki C

Ginger is in the Zingiberaceae family, along with turmeric and cardamon. Technically, all gingers are edible, but only the species in the Zingiber genus taste good. Zingerber officinale or common ginger is the variety that is most commonly used for eating. It has a sweet, warm and peppery flavor. Ginger originates in Southeast Asia and has been a part of Chinese medicine for centuries. It was brought to England by the Romans and often sat on the tables of the wealthy to be used as seasoning. The Spanish brought ginger to the New World. Today, Jamaica, India, Fuji, Indonesia, and Australia are the top ginger producers.

Click HERE to read more.

Tips from The Garden

Texas Bluebonnets by Allison from Pixabay.com

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.  -Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

Spring 2026 arrives on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 9:46 a.m. CST. There is still time to enjoy the cool-season bedding plants, such as daffodils, snapdragons, alyssum and pansies, which are at their peak in our area, but will shortly begin to decline.  If there are any that you particularly enjoy, make a note to plant them in your own garden in the fall.  A spring bloomer that is well adapted to the soils of Comal County is the Philippine lily, a close relative of the Easter Lily.

Click HERE to read more.

Creepy Crawlers - Saltmarsh Caterpillar

Saltmarsh caterpillars seem to be a common sight in gardens, lawns and traveling across roads and sidewalks.  These caterpillars are a particular species, Estigmene acrea, and turn into saltmarsh moths.  They are often mistakenly called “woollybears” which are a different species, Pyrrharctia isabella, that turn into Isabella tiger moths. The two species are related and in the same family Erebidae.

Click HERE to read more.

Veggies, Q&As, and Native Plants

Happenings and Harvests in the Veggie Garden

A weekly log of veggie garden activities

Comalito Answers Your Questions

Native Plant Gallery

Visit our gallery of native plants--and Go Native!

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