I started growing Heleniums because they really add color to my garden at a time I need it badly. By August most of the daylilies are almost over and it's nice to have some bright patches of color. I have 5 cultivers and would like to add a few more if anyone is interested in a Spring Trade. Copperlia is one of my earlier ones and starts in mid July. It is in full bloom now. Coppery red fades a little with age. It is about 3" tall.
This one is Zimbelstem and is taller at about 4' and blooms later. About a week before it will be in full bloom. It is golden with splashes of mahogany.
Zelbelstern
Flammades Kathchen in a henna red with burnt orange/gold and brown centers. About 4.5' tall for me.
Red and Gold is about 5' tall for me.
This is my first year to grow Marti Gras and it is only about 24" tall. Suppose to grow 36-40", so maybe next year it will be taller. The bugs seem to like the blooms on this one so I could not get a very good photo.
Here is Coppelia in the garden.
And Flammandes Kathchen with Oranges and Lemons gaillardia, Zowie zinnia and some daylilies.
Coppelia is in front of the arbor to the front and Zelbelstern is the taller one behind it.
lincolnitess, where do you find all these heleniums?! I love them. I wish I had enough to trade with you. I only have one I planted last year and it hasn't spread.
I love the "look" of your garden.I can't get my Gaillardias and zowie to spread that much.How many plants do you use in each spot?I started all of mine from seed.Do you also?
I have to add heleniums.It seems like there is alot of oranges and yellows this time of year.
That is only one Zowie zinnia and one Gaillardia. I hope I will be able to divide the gaillardia in the spring to have a few more clumps of it. I am also going to start more of the Zowie zinnias. They are perfect in front of the Helenium I think and looked really good with a lot of the daylilies in that bed. I did buy it already with a bloom on it from the nursery, so not sure if it would have been as large from seed. I wonder if it would come true from seeds?
Digging Dog Nursery and Lazy SS Farm Nursery are both good places to get Heleniums. They grow fairly fast. This is only my second summer for all the big ones and they started as single rooted stems.
This message was edited Aug 4, 2007 10:13 AM
Thanks, lincolnitess. I'm afraid the shipping charges at both places are more than I can handle. I can understand it from Digging Dog, which is across the country, but not from Lazy SS, which is just across the Blue Ridge from me. Maybe I can get to their store sometime and buy some.
They are beautiful heleniums.
I grew Helenium Bright Buttons from seed two years ago. They germinated nicely, and now that they are established, they spread quite nicely too (but not aggressively). I don't have any photos of them in bloom, but they are shades of yellow and a kind of rusty-orange. They are indeed nice spots of color at this time of the season. I also like to use them as cut flowers.
Last year I tried H. Lollipop, but didn't get any germination. But this year I did better, and I have about a half dozen small plants that are starting to bud.
:)
Dee
I have been getting my pics all lined up, yes I love helenium and have been spreading their virtues throughout this great land.
Amongst their advantages are:
*they can handle wetness pretty well
*well behaved habit
*many are tall and flower late - making them great for back borders
*don't really make you sneeze ;)
I like the ones you have posted, send me a dmail and maybe we can work something out.
My Mardi Gras is about 20" and flowers early, I think it is closely related to Sahin's Early Flowering IMHO. Mine is done now.
I put all my hlenium in a bed of their own and went by listings and observations and put it in the back row - will move next spring.
Nice site here
http://www.samshrub.co.uk/helenium/helenium.htm
Colors range from yellow to red
I like the orangish/red ones a lot
Chelsey
My red/gold is all gold, 6'+
I have this one tied to the fence
Double Trouble is a double flowered one. It really got big this year.
Rubinswerg is a new one for me - just awesome.
I like helenium because they also fill the gap between when coneflowers are fading and winding down and asters haven't started yet.
Closeup of Rubinswerg
Moerheim Beauty has 3 colors/shades in it.
Including these that look like gaillardia
This one was sold as Helena Mix, I have seen one called Helena Red Shades for sale.
That one has a mix of colors also - I really liked these.
They are so photogenic too, some change colors as they age.
I'm still waiting on Indianersommer - I'll post it when it's open.
I really like this small red one - Ruby Tuesday.
That does it al, you actually made me swoon with the last one! They're definitely going to be added to my garden next year, how tall is Ruby Tuesday?
Ooh yeah, that Ruby Tuesday is gorgeous. Gee, I never knew there were so many different ones. I shall have to do some seed-shopping...
:)
Dee
Ruby Tuesday is about 30". One of the shorter ones.
Dee - There are some seeds available A lot of these are only sold as plants though, and they never sell so I see them at clearance sales at places.
Hmm, Al, then I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for plants, if I can't find seed. I can't imagine why these beauties wouldn't sell, but I guess that's a plus for us, if they end up on clearance!
I wanted to add that I always seemed to prefer pinks and purples in my garden - and that is still my first love, and definitely what I'm drawn to first at the nurseries. Then one season, I happened to get seeds for lots of orange/orangish flowers - nasturtiums, cosmos, tithonia, even orange zinnias. Some of these were freebies - bonus packs, etc. - and I was a bit skeptical that I would like them. But that year I had some gorgeous blooms, and it was then that I learned to like oranges, reds, and yellows in the garden. I think that was the year that I had the helenium, too, and since then, I always grow plants with blooms in these colors. The helenium fit in so well, and they are such an easy, reliable, long-blooming plant, I don't think I'd be without it now.
Dee
sigh Helenium. One more thing to add to my ever-growing list of want.
Suzy
Dee - I think they don't sell because they bloom so late people can't wait and/or they are rarely in flower when they are sold, not a lot of asters sold because of the same reason I think.
Could be worse Suzy.
Yes, good point Al. Well, their loss, our gain, I guess huh?
:)
Dee
They would fit well in my late summer garden then. I have the whole side of my garage to plant, in a narrow border along the side of the pool. I don't use the backyard much in winter, so it's all late summer & fall blooming plants. I love the warmer colors, and lincolnitess' color echo with the Zowie zinnia keeps me going back to look.
Has anyone bought seeds of Zowie this year?I bought them last year from Parks and they were very expensive.Only a few seeds for the price of a regular pack.I didn't try to collect seeds but saved a few to plant this year.
Who knew there were so many heleniums??? The Sams Shrub site is great and I could really spend a lot of time studying it!
And everyone's pics are so interesting. I have a H. 'mardi gras' in the garden and it is poking along. I had no idea that it could be as big and beautiful as some of the ones pictured but I think I have to give it more room and sunshine to spread its glory!
I assumed heleniums were perennials but when I googled some of the descriptions mentioned 'annual'. Is this another flower that goes both ways?
tab - There are a few annual varieties - never tried them. Most are perennials - long lived in fact.
I'll post a few full shots.
This is the Red/Gold hybrids that seeded in to the bed I take care of at my neighbors. It is poor soil so it's a bit shorter. It does seem odd that this is a hybrid and the seeds germinate. I have sent out seeds to other people and have heard that they germinate. If you want to try any seeds let me know - they are super easy to collect.
Here is the full shot of Ruby Tuesday. Made a mistake with the height arrangements around this so it's a bit crowded.
Beautifully grown plants, Al-- thanks for posting the pics.
