PERENNIALS > HELENIUM
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HELENIUM GUIDES
genus Helenium are an interesting lot .
They ’re related to sunflower , sharing the bright scandalmongering - orange tree rosiness and tall stature , while being hit enough to cut up out their own report amongst gardener .
If you ’re look for a fairly manageable plant life to bring some optical involvement to your garden , then expect no further .
“ I really eff simple outdoors , daisy - alike prime like Heleniums , strictly because they are brilliant for wildlife such as bee , butterflies and raspberry , ” says Mark Lane , Garden Designer and TV Presenter .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureExposed or Sheltered
Height1 – 1.5 M
Spread0.1 – 0.5 thou
Bloom TimeJuly – October
PreferredMost Soil Types
MoistureMoist but well drain
pHAny
Aesthetically , genus Helenium contribute themselves to grassy , prairie - style backdrops .
They in the main like bright sun , making them a good choice for particularly sunny spot that other plants may not enjoy .
They ’re perennial , signify that if you look after them right , they ’ll come back year after year .
In fact they arevery hardyperennials(down to super cold temperature ) that bloom in summer , usually of late , until late autumn .
“ I love genus Helenium , ” state Garden Designer Jacquie Felix - Mitchell .
“ They are such a fabulous perennial and the bee have sex them . ”
They like full sunlight and well - debilitate grease , and do n’t present too much of a challenge for new gardener .
And many of the variety are democratic amongst bee and other pollinators , giving them an crucial role in encouraging and protect these insects .
Heleniums tender a late - in - the - year bloom to keep visual interestingness going for longer , and they add themselves well to all sort of contexts , from borders , to flower - beds , to increasingly democratic prairie planting .
And with high hardiness , simple demand , and relatively low - maintenance needs once established , heleniums are a good choice for even the most initiate nurseryman .
Helenium Varieties
Despite North American heritage , there are several helenium varieties suited to growing in UK gardens.1Helenium autumnale . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . call up March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:211760-1
We ’ve round down up a few of our favourites , with special attending paid to those give the RHS Award of Garden Merit – a vouch for their timbre and suitableness .
All the varieties below are hardiness rating H7 , mean they can go in temperatures below -20 ° C , much guaranteeing their survival of the fittest in British gardens .
blossom forth with beautiful violent blooms in late summertime , H.‘Chelsey ’ is a great introduction to this flora ’s majesty .
Late - blooming blossom are a good agency to keep optical interest run low in your garden twelvemonth - orotund , and helenium alongside flower that blossom in fountain is one way to attain this .
The requirements are par for the course for heleniums : full sun , well - drained soil , with little tiff about soil composing as long as it ’s teetotal .
Size - knowing , ‘ Chelsey ’ will grow up to about a metre , and it ’ll take up to five years to get there .
No clues for guessing where the name come from .
Early flowerer flowers earlier than other varieties , come out inearlysummer , rather than previous .
This motley can be used alongside other sneezeweed variety to keep ocular interest hold out twelvemonth - round , as we mention in the previous department .
The sizing and preference are standardized to ‘ Chelsey ’ : full sun , well - debilitate soil , up to a meter luxuriously over a few years .
For the non - German speaker amongst us , the name render as ‘ Dark Splendour ’ , and it ’s well-fixed to see why –
The rich , hearty orange tonesof this genus Helenium change will hit full swing in late summertime , remain in bloom of youth through autumn .
Variation between color palettes of unlike genus Helenium types is subtle , so it ’s worth familiarize yourself with each one before pick out which to grease one’s palms .
Another German name , this time meaning ‘ Ruby Dwarf ’ .
And again , it ’s well-heeled to tell why – this genus Helenium variety shoot a line racy orangish - red leaves , bringing to mind the resplendent colouring material of a deep red gemstone .
This variety stomach proudly upright , distinguishing it from some other clumpier varieties .
It ’ll grow to about a metre high over a few year , and favor lineal sunshine and – you guessed it – well - drained filth .
The flora is a ravisher .
Rich orange petals shine from a brown poorly centre , wreak a fit of colour to your garden in summertime and autumn .
This is another upright variety , standing above some of the lower - growing bunch up varieties mentioned antecedently .
Combining the two types is a honest agency to add another level of visual interest – the perpendicular element .
How To Grow Heleniums
genus Helenium are peculiarly suited to ‘ prairie planting ’ .
If you ’re not indisputable what this means , allow us fill you in .
prairie areareas of wild grasslandwhere grasses and wildflowers are left to their own devices .
The result is a rich blanket of colour , less manicure than most kempt gardens , but capable of just as much beauty .
In recent years , prairie planting has develop in popularity , as gardener look to bring the raw , rugged natural aesthetic into their own backyard .
If this is a look you ’re concerned in , then heleniums are by all odds the right pick .
As a North American prairie plant by heritage , they ’re dead suitable to recreating the flavor in a UK garden .
Here ’s how to grow and care for sneezeweed to check optimal results .
For in force results , sprout your helenium seeds indoors then inure them off for a twain of week before planting out .
Look to constitute them out ideally not later than the end of March .
If you drop this time window youcanplant them a scrap later , but they wo n’t have enough time to establish if you go out it too tardily .
you may supply fertiliser each spring to nourish the plant and pave the direction for optimum growth next season .
Somewhere sunny !
If you could only find a spot with partial shade , we advise choose for a yellow-bellied variety over orange or ruby – this is because the pigmentation point a tolerance for lowly tier of sunlight .
When you ’ve found a worthy spot for your helenium , dig a yap that ’s about twice the sizing of the plant life ’s roots .
embed the rootball , traverse it over , then body of water generously before adding a few centimetres of mulch to keep back the moisture .
“ Prairie dash planting are often quite densely planted , which is great because this leaves less blank for undesirable plants ( dope ) to add up in , ” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .
“ However , this can mean that there is contention from adjacent plant and the previous flowering perennials can be prone to being crowd out in the first year or two of establishment .
“ I unremarkably mark any plants I need to keep an eye on with a low can or pea amaze so that I can espy them when calculate for them .
“ I then make certain that surround foliage is cut back where needed . Once established , they can compete quite successfully . ”
Helenium Care
While Helenium like well - drained dirt , they also need to be watered on a regular basis to insure the good growth .
If you leave these plants to dry out out entirely they will struggle to come through , so be argus-eyed to ensure they stay salubrious .
As with most flowering plants , deadheading and pruning are encouraged to assist with healthy growth .
If you ’re not familiar , deadheading refer to removing trite ( or ‘ spent ’ ) flowers to allow healthy ontogeny in newer ones .
By getting rid of flush that are on their way of life out anyway , you set aside the plant life to allocate more resources and nutrient to fledgeling blooms .
Simply pull off any flowers that look chocolate-brown around the petals , or seem to be wilt .
Pull them off cautiously to avoid damage to the stems , then watch as the next generation of peak take their place .
Some genus Helenium variety produce tall and involve a little bread and butter to continue stiff .
you may achieve this by placing a stake near the etymon when you implant out in spring , and boost the genus Helenium to tend against it for structural support .
Once the flora is instal it probably wo n’t need on-going support .
When you ’re glad that they ’ve reached this degree , just remove the wager .
Trimming back sneezeweed stanch when the flowers begin to die in late autumn / other wintertime helps encourage better growth next season .
Using secateurs , shave back to just below the horizontal surface where foliage occurs .
After a few years , your works will be ready to divide .
You ’ll be able to distinguish when it start search a flake less glorious and a bit more gaunt .
At this level , dig up the plant , tease apart the origin into three or four sections , and replant each as its own adult plant ( or pot them up and give them as gifts – propagate the dear ! ) .
Prairie Companion Planting
As a small bonus , we conceive we ’d introduce a few other plants that go well with Heleniums if you ’re interested in render out prairie planting –
A bold yellow flowernative to North America , that sits graciously alongside the colour palette sneezeweed go .
A rustic - look perennial that grow tall and loan a captivating fragrance to your garden .
It works well toward the back of displays thanks to its height .
A marvellous , fluffy forage that provides a great backdrop to the Zen of colour offered by heleniums and other prairie flowers .
Another Gunter Wilhelm Grass value for its role in providing a backcloth .
Of particular interest is the partial transparentness , let other colours and form shine through the display .
This type of horticulture is well deserving a feeling if you ’re not acquainted .
It ’s a great path to play with common plants and themes , while bringing something undeniably rustic and notable to your garden .
Common Problems
Heleniums attract the attention of a few garden undesirable .
Here ’s what to face out for , and how to keep them at bay :
These complete , ugly customer take no debut , and wo n’t wait for one before let themselves into your garden to look into the tasty goody on offer .
And sadly , vernal helenium industrial plant definitely fall into this category .
Your best wager is to manually take speculative slugs and snail .
This fungal disease leaves mar and pockmark on works leaves , the effect of a fungus growing inside and feeding on the plant ’s nutrient .
With leafspot , prevention is in effect – water thesoil beneath your heleniumrather than watering from the top of the plant and letting it filter down .
Dry leafage with unspoiled strain circulation are far less prone to hurt .
If leafspot does take hold , many product are available from garden stores .
Some are natural and constituent , others habituate more controversial chemical to eradicate the condition , but which may have a harmful wallop on wildlife in your garden .
