100 Perfect Plants by Simon Akeroyd

Author:Simon Akeroyd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781911358312
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Published: 2017-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

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HELENIUM ‘MOERHEIM BEAUTY’

THE COLOURS OF THIS PERENNIAL HELENIUM EPITOMISE THE RICH HAZY TONES YOU EXPECT IN AN EARLY WARM AUTUMNAL FLOWER BORDER WITH ITS SULTRY REDDISH ORANGE, DAISY-SHAPED FLOWERS HELD ALOFT ON THEIR WIRY STEMS.

Heleniums are one of the classic daisy-shaped herbaceous perennials that are currently so much in fashion alongside asters, rudbeckias and echinaceas, and seen so much in prairie-style gardens. They are prolific flowerers providing a good solid backbone in the border during late summer and autumn.

They originate from North America and their petals come in rich hues of red, orange and copper with the round centre of the flower looking like a rich chocolate button. It is commonly known as sneezeweed because Cherokee Native Americans used to dry the flowers as a cure for the common cold. They are generally drought resistant and easy to maintain. They also make great cut flowers, and butterflies and bees seem to love them.

There are lots of heleniums to choose from but Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ is one of the most popular. This stunning herbaceous perennial reaches up to 1.2m (4ft) high, so should be placed in the middle or towards the back of the border. Plant them in clusters of three, five or seven depending on the size of the bed at about 45cm (18in) apart. Add plenty of organic matter to the soil prior to planting. They may well need supporting with hazel sticks to prevent their flowerheads from flopping over. The plants can be left to turn to seed as they can still look dramatic in winter, but should be cut back in early spring.

They’ll benefit from being divided every couple of years after they have finished flowering, either in winter if it is mild enough, or early spring.

They are real sun lovers and prefer well-drained conditions to perform at their best. They combine with other, really hot, sizzling plants, such as kniphofia (red hot pokers) and rubeckias. They also look great with ornamental grasses if you want to try and get that loose ‘prairie’ style of planting in your garden.

ALTERNATIVES

There are literally hundreds to choose from, but some of the most popular are: H. ‘Ruby Tuesday’, a compact variety reaching about 50cm (20in) in height with plenty of small, dark red flowers; ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ has orange flowerheads and is a great choice if you want to inject a bit of colour earlier on into the border as it flowers a good few weeks before the others; for a yellow variety ‘Butter Pat’ is a good reliable choice, producing a profusion of flowers from late summer onwards.

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