I love this plant for late summer color. I have a lovely yellow one and just recently bought a pot of 'red shades'.
Any other Helenium fans?
I am - I love helenium!
I posted all mine in this thread a while back.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/638521/
Thanks for the link to your thread! Glad to hear there are other fans out there who appreciate this wonderful perennial. I plan to add lots more varieties to my garden.
I was completely unfamiliar with them until the thread bigcityal referred to. Now I want dozens!
It wasn't my thread, but thanks anyway. Mine are still going great. Chelsey is super.
I really don't see a whole lot of varieties around, they always stock some and it never sells it seems ;(
Very pretty Kniphofia. I've been looking at them myself. My neighbor really likes them. I'm always drawn to the red ones.
Nice link Al!
Here are the ones at work. Those and the Rudbeckias are the main floral show at the moment.
Al is an enabler! he got me hooked on helenium LOL I bought one this year...Flammenspiel (translates to 'flickering flames')...more to follow next season
gram
I don't know why these are so hard to find locally. I'd been looking for plants for a couple of years with no luck. 4paws send me a plant earlier this year and it's just gorgeous, hasn't stopped blooming for weeks and wasn't affected at all by the heat and drought in July and August.
The color (Moerheim Beauty) is unusual - a bright, dark red with a hint or orange - and just glows in the garden. I definitely want to get some more.
Do they spread, do you all know?
I do have one clump I know seeded itself there.
As far as the clumps spreading I think they increase slowly, for me they come up in the spring so strong you think that they are just going to increase a lot, but then they grow slow after that.
Oh, well, as long as they spread eventually I'll be happy.
I'm new to the helenium, with Moorheim being my first, and I just love it. It came bareroot from Pixydish's nwbulb coop last spring. I bought them just to help fill the order, and it's turned out gorgeous, so I want more!
Al, it is better to plant these in the spring or fall? Of course, my zone is so different from yours - 72 inches of rain last winter. I never thought I'd say I like snow better than rain, but guess what? :-)
What about dividing them? When should I do it, and would it be too soon to divide it after its first year in the ground?
Am I correct in understanding the seeds for this are sterile?
Not sure when your fall is - December? ;)
If you already have them I would plant them this fall, otherwise spring is fine too. I would divide them in the spring when they are shorter.
As far as I have heard the seeds are true, I know for sure I have had one do it.
They can take wettness a little better than other plants so they should withstand your wet winters.
I bought a Helenium this spring because I wanted some fall color and crysanthemums are not successful in my yard, It is called Coppelia and has been flowering for about 3 weeks. Love it! Went hunting around at the August plant sales and found a couple more - I'll be hunting for them next spring for sure! I checked pictures on the internet - there are some g reat colors.
It is only about 18 inches high this year but I guess it will get quite large.
mums are for nongardeners anyway ;)
Nice one fancy.
I forgot I had this excellent link to see
http://www.samshrub.co.uk/helenium/helenium.htm
Al,
Thank you! I've never seen such a selection! I'm going to share this address with my neighbor!
Yep, that's how he got me hooked...gave me that link. LOL now I want them all. Of course, it didn't hurt that he keeps posting pics of all the nice ones he grows. All they had at the nursery was the Flammenspiel I posted above (which is very pretty, was in full bloom when I bought it, and is still going strong 3 weeks later). I'm sure I can track a few more down online in the spring. but they're not as easy to find as they should be.
I'm hooked alright!
Oh my goodness aren't they beautiful! Now I just have to find a source in Canada for the ones I like! I mostly like the ones that are pink or red tinged ( I dont normally use either orange or real reds in my garden) .
I've been looking for Helenium for at least a year, now all of a sudden everyone's an expert (except me). I don't use yellow (too bad!) but I love the Mahogany and Brick Red ones. Where are you guys getting your seed?
xxxx, Carrie
Carrie,
I got all of mine as plants. I don't think I've seen seeds in stores.
Plantspotters seems to have a good line of them.
As far as plants go Jung's has some(bare root), but they do turn out alright.
Al
I got mine at a local nursery, but they only had one variety. they have a couple at Big Dipper (I think Mardi Gras and Red & Gold). I haven't looked for seeds.
This is my plant that was supposed to be something else, because the tag said so, but Al showed me the error of my ways. I'd never heard of helenium until Al fell in love with it and talked about it in another forum.
(But I still don't see how it could be Ruby Tuesday, Al.)
This message was edited Sep 10, 2006 8:57 PM
Nancy - I hadn't seen the orange ones before. That is definetely helenium, but it might be Moerheim Beauty.