Helenium

With its bright green foliage and flowers available in different shades of gold, orange, yellow, brown and red, helenium has the kind of warm contrasting colours necessary to make gardens glorious in summer. This cheery daisy-like flowering plant serves as a reminder of autumn even in summer when it is in full bloom. Our wide selection of helenium plants range from simple cultivars with monochromatic petals to exotic ones with mixed colours.

This hardy perennial grows easily and blooms rapidly when cultivated from live, garden-ready young plants. Young helenium requires a moist but well-drained soil to grow. Therefore, a low-lying but not boggy part of the garden is the ideal site for planting it. The flowering plant also prefers a soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. In addition, a nutrient-poor soil is preferable to a rich soil as the latter produces very tall and leafy helenium plants that bloom poorly. While it is best to have the roots of the plant in cool, wet soil, its leaves need to be in direct sunlight.

Unlike some other members of the daisy family, helenium flower is not drought-resistant. A thick layer of organic mulch helps the roots retain moisture and preserves the acidity of the soil especially during sunny days. This prolongs the bloom period of helenium well beyond late summer into fall. After blooming, it is best to cut back flower stalks down to the foliage in order to protect the plant from insects and diseases. Late fall is also the time to divide the plant to encourage new growth for the next bloom cycle.

This water-loving butterfly magnet is best paired with other late bloomers especially in cottage and wildflower gardens. Choose from our wide selection of helenium plants, available in a rich variety of sizes and shades. Transform your garden with eye-popping colour.