We harvested seed from wild/native blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) in the summer and then cleaned and stored the seed in a dry spot.    In winter, we put the seed in some clean wet garden soil in a ziploc bag and then placed it in the freezer for 2 months, simulating the stratification process.    At the end of winter we removed the bag, then planted the seed in flats, placing the seeded container under a cover, in the unheated greenhouse.    Over the next weeks, the seed germinated and seedlings developed.    We transplanted those to small pots.    They went in the flower gardens in spring.    That was one year.

Last winter, we did the same, but we planted the seed in rows in the vegetable garden, allowing the winter snows to do the stratification.    By April the young plants were up and looking promising.    By June they were ready for transplanting.

Photos of these young plants are provided here:

We also have Gaillardia cultivars in the garden and they are featured in galleries on this website.

We will likely continue to use the outdoor stratification process.    We have successfully grown lupines, Rudbeckia, rabbitbrush, asparagus, blue-eyed grass, Echinacea, and we are working on nodding onions with this method.