That's good to know Sunny. I was worried about a couple of mine that seemed to be dying in places last summer. I will divide them this Spring and see if that helps.
Susan
Who Grows Heleniums?
In reading your interesting thread, I just found out that what I thought was a cultivar of Helenium CALLED 'Bittersweet' is apparently just another common name for it. I still have my label and it certainly implies it's a cultivar. Oh well. It was great and now I want more after seeing the beautiful pics of the Cvs.
Flammades Kathchen and Copperlia are stunning. I'll be on the lookout - I think Mardi Gras is the only one I've seen available locally. And good to know about the moisture, I had not picked up on that.
Have always purchased my Helenium as plants, never used seeds. Sure some/many of the cultivars have to be propagated by division. Have in the past used H. autumnale and some heleniums that overall look, to me, a lot like H. autumnale: e.g. 'Helena Gold', 'Helena Rote Töne' and 'Rotgold' (Red and Gold). Am beginning to wonder whether H. autumnale gets cross pollinated with any of these in the garden, or any of these with each other? Pretty sure I've seen some evidence of seedlings.
It's also sometimes confusing which variety or cultivar is being sold. For example, 'Rotgold' (Red and Gold) is different from 'Helena Red and Gold' which is "a seed strain of mixed (and unpredictable) colour and height" (SpecialPerennials.com)).
It does not help that one reads environmental factors influence Helenium flower colors, at least somewhat, (e.g. temperature and humidity - for 'Rotgold' and temperature and light levels for 'Feuersiegal' (according to SpecialPerennials.com)).
I think I have always been able to recognize 'Feuersiegal' in the gardens, but don't think this is the case for 'Rotgold' (unless a bed was planted with no other heleniums!). I've used a lot more 'Rotgold', which has been a cheaper and more readily available Helenium. Of course, there's also the problem of whether all that 'Rotgold' was correctly labeled when I bought it.
This SpecialPerennials.com is the best Helenium site I have seen to date. The company involved has the National (UK) Plant Collection of Heleniums (currently covering over 80 cultivars). Surely a site you tend to trust.
Image: Helenium 'Rotgold' I purchased and planted in 2006, as small shoots, photographed in 2008. I did not record the height, but it was about 3 1/2 feet.
This message was edited Mar 11, 2009 12:27 AM
This message was edited Mar 11, 2009 5:11 PM
Just planted some yesterday, but I don't know anyone here that has them, so don't know if they'll do well here.
I have tons of Helenium "Autumn Lollipop" that have come up. I wintersowed them. I'm also growing some from seeds called "Shades of Red." I love the pictures of these and can't wait to grow them.
I've planted Sunshine Helenium, and have some Mardi Gras on order.
Hi Helenium lovers
Bed just planted (last May/June)
Two 'Mardi Gras' in front of two 'Sahin's Early Flowerer'.
Sunny
Bit more
Area of established bed. Needs chopping up and soil upgrading every few years.
Helenium autumnale, with a bit of H. 'Rote Töne'; 'Goldsturm' orange coneflower in front, 'Magnum' purple cone flower and, behind, 'Morden Pink' purple loosestrife (latter: never seeded and nowhere near wetland). Late last summer.
Seeing our first snowdrops in warm spots.
Sunny
Sunny, beautiful garden. Do you have to stake all those gorgeous flowers?
Hi cedar18,
Use a lot of stakes in the gardens: re plants in picture: almost never need to stake orange coneflower nor the shortest purple coneflowers. Always need to stake purple loosestrife and usually the taller heleniums. The culver's roots, balloon flowers and new england asters in that bed always need staking. Well at least no staking is required for the spring flowering perennials!
Have to admit, that the picture is taken of the prettiest part of that bed at that time of the year. As pointed out to me by a wise gardening friend, that's what gardening magazines often do; that is, only show you the part of the flower bed, or the flower bed, they want you to see. Makes gardening look easy. Sells magazines and plants. I always find maximizing the amount of color in a perennial garden, throughout the growing season, a real challenge. One can never know enough!
Sunny
This message was edited Mar 15, 2009 10:16 PM