Gilia

( JILL - ee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

This flowering annual needs full sun and little to moderate water. The blue-purple flowers will attract butterflies and bees to the garden in late spring through early fall. These flowers are typically considered wildflowers, and are popular in native, pollinator, meadow, prairie, informal, and cottage gardens. Use them to fill in meadows, bring pollinators into the garden, or simply as pops of color in containers, mixed beds and borders.

Gilia species and varietals

The genus Gilia includes 39 species and is a member of the plant family Polemoniaceae. Gilia grows best in USDA hardiness zones 6-10 or Sunset growing zones 1-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Gilia achilleifolia (California Gillia, California Gily-Flower, Blue Gilia)
This species is native to California, but has been introduced and naturalized in many areas of North America. It forms an erect stem topped with funnel-shaped lavender flowers and grows to reach up to 10-28 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide when mature and in bloom.

Gilia angelensis (Chaparral Gilia, Angels Gilia)
This wildflower species forms a slender, branching stem that reaches between 4 and 27 inches tall. Flowers are small and white to very light lavender in color. Chaparral Gilia is native to coastal areas in California and Baja California, Mexico.

Gilia capitata (Blue Thimble Flower, Globe Gilia, Bluehead Gilia, Blue Field Gilia, Queen Anne's Thimble, Blue Thimble Flower)
This species is native to British Columbia down through California. It reaches up to 6-24 inches tall and 9 inches wide at maturity. Flowers are pale violet blue to blue in color and have blue pollen, borne in spherical clusters that mimic pincushions.

Gilia tricolor (Bird's Eyes, Tricolor Gilia, Bird's Eye Gilia)
These plants are native to California and reach up to 4-18 inches tall when mature, producing either single flowers or flowers held in clusters at stem tips. Blooms are blue to whitish with purple-spotted bases and yellow throats.

Caring for Gilia

Gilia seeds are direct-sown in the garden between 2 and 3 weeks before the last frost date of the year. They can also be cold-stratified and sown indoors, transplanted after the last threat of frost has passed. Gilia flowers should be planted in a space in the garden that receives full sun. They can take some partial shade, but ideally these plants should be getting between 6 and 8 hours of sun each day for best flowering. They prefer a soil that is well-draining, moderately fertile, and that has a pH of between 6.0 and 8.0. If local soils are particularly poor in nutrients or do not drain well, make sure to amend the planting area with plenty of organic compost before installing. Water newly planted Chamomile regularly to help it develop a strong root system. At maturity, these plants are drought-tolerant, able to get by on rainwater alone with a some supplemental waterings in the warmest months of the year.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with a application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. These plants are not heavy feeders, and this should be sufficient to provide the necessary nutrients for the active growing and flowering seasons. Deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers to bloom and to discourage reseeding. If collecting seeds for propagation, leave some flowering heads on plants to mature, and harvest them before they release seeds. Gilia flowers are annuals, completing their full life cycle in one year. They will freely reseed in the landscape, providing plants indefinitely.

Propagation

There really is no need to intentionally propagate Gilia plants; they will reseed quite freely where they are planted in the garden. Seeds can be collected, or volunteer plants can be dug up and moved to where they are wanted. The best ways to propagate these flowers is via seed:

Propagating Gilia by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. The best potting medium for seed germination is a light blend of 1/3 pasteurized soil or compost, 1/3 sand, vermiculite or perlite, and 1/3 coconut coir or peat moss.
Harvest your seeds. The seed heads on plants are pretty easy to spot, they're left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will continue to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
In either late winter or early springtime, get your container prepared. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 2-6 weeks from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.

Gilia spent flower heads hold the seeds for the next generation of plants.

Gilia seeds are quite small, and are typically brown.

Problems and Pests

Gilia plants are typically resistant to most pest and disease issues in the landscape, though they can have issues from time to time with the following: