Hi :-)
Four years ago I purchased what was ticketed as a "Perennial Sunflower". The first year it grew to about 5ft of beautiful foliage .. not a flower to be seen .. I thought perhaps one was forming at the top of one of the stems .. but .. a September frost fell .. and "POOF" all was lost.
The second year .. almost the same scenario unfolded, despite the fact I actually SPOKE to the plant everyday :-(
Year three arrived .. and .. as expected the gangly plant started it's trek towards the sky .. I fertilized it and, yes I talked to it, and in early Sept. it BLOOMED !! Not for long, but it did produce a (ONE) yellow flower.
I am now in year FOUR .. and the darned thing is MONSTROUS .. it's close to eight feet high .. green and bushy (one might think it was a POT plant) .. but .. again .. NO FLOWERS ..
A friend who is a landscaper by profession has told me it's a False Sunflower? I have Googled the Image of a False Sunflower and have not really been too successful .. either the pic won't enlarge or has been taken too far back from the plant .. but NONE of the pics portray the flowerless MAMMOTH I am growing !!!
Has anyone ever run into this plant .. and if you have were you successful in making it bloom? I have fertilized it .. twice this summer,with the new Miracle Grow stuff (liquid) that hitches up to yer hose.
I am in a northern clime in Canada .. I think I am referred to as Zone 3a.
Thanx a bunch for any clues to the flowering process and/or identification of this plant.
Marilynne :-)
"False Sunflower" ??
I have seen some heliopsis 5 or 6 feet tall - I can't really guess what variety you have, should be in here
http://davesgarden.com/pf/search.php?search_text=heliopsis&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
I would cut out the fertilizing for next year to see if that helps, they really don't need it and it will make them taller with less flowers. It is in full sun right?
Al
Hi Marilynne. Welcome to Dave's Garden. I see you are a new subscriber. Have you got a picture of the plant?
Brenda
Hiya
I took pics today .. have still to download them and then resize'em and post to the forum.
As of today .. still lotsa greenery and NADDA in the flower dept !!!
I have what we call "False Sunflower". It is about 3-4 feet tall. Has yellow flowers about 2" across. I don't know when it started blooming, seems like all summer.
They are a little invasive, but where I have them, I just chop some down. In another bed we keep it to one clump.
Never fertilized or watered it. Perennials here have got to survive on their own, that includes wintering over. If they can't get through winter without mulch, oh well.
Bernie
Is this what you're talking about
another pic
What you have pictured is "Branched Coneflower". It does spread rather easy!
Bernie
OK .. I FINALLY had some blooms .. and now have pics of this "MYSTERY" :-)
~*M*~
One more pic :-) This PLANT was over 8' tall !!!!
Did not bloom until October .. and then gave me 4 lovely yellow flowers :-)
~*M*~
I like it,what do you actually call it,when your looking for seed? MIke
I have the same plant. I have no idea what it is actually called, but it spreads like bamboo would and waits until mid-late October to bloom. Once it does, it gives off hundreds of pretty yellow flowers. It likes sun to part shade and seems to do well in clay/sand soil with no fertilizer:
This message was edited Oct 8, 2006 3:44 PM
It could be Helianthis giganteus or maximiliani. Known as Prairie sunflower. Mine did the same thing but only took three years to get too big. I will be moving it. The Tubers are suppose to be edible, perhaps I'll just eat it. Patti
I cut mine down to the ground every year and it still shoots up to about 8-10' tall. Here's a picture of the blooms. Every year I wait and hope it will flower before a heavy frost hits:
This message was edited Oct 8, 2006 3:46 PM
Go to the garden watchdog site, Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery to check out a good picture of it. Patti
So .. I guess it's most likely a False Sunflower ?? OR 'Prairie Sunflower ??
I also wanted to say .. that, as of today it is 10 to 11' tall !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all your resonses .. I just wanna plant "THE BEAST" somewhere where it'll flourish BEFORE Oct. !!!!!!
~*M*~