Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

26 AMATEUR GARDENING 6 JULY 2019

Helenium

Versatile, flame-tinted heleniums – also known as sneezeweeds – are certainly not to

be sniffed at. Anne explains how to use these uplifting perennials to brighten borders

T

HIS tribe of herbaceous

perennials, commonly known

as sneezeweeds, were the

border flowers of my childhood,

along with daisy-flowered pyrethrums

(now known as tanacetum), achillea,

monarda and sugar-pink sidalcea.

Nobody knew their variety names, but

we loved the rich-toned yellow, orange

or red daisies with their prominent

central cones, and would swap plants

at dividing time. Our heleniums were tall

and required staking – otherwise, they

would be flattened by a summer

storm or sleeping cats.

Back then, we were a parochial

bunch and rarely gave a thought to the

origins of our garden plants. We had yet

to marvel at Beth Chatto’s ecological

approach to garden design, had never

heard of the ‘Chelsea Chop’, and had

little concept of the helenium

as a prairie perennial.

Bright and bold

The 40 species (including

some shorter-lived

annuals and biennials)

are native to North and

Central America, where

they inhabit damp places

along woodland edge and

stream banks. The cultivars

we grow descend mainly from

H. autumnale, H. flexuosum and

H. bigelovii, and while familiar cultivars

• such as orange-red ‘Moerheim Beauty’
  reaching to 4ft (1.2m) and streaked ‘Sahin’s
  Early Flowerer’ at 39in (100cm) – are well
  worth growing, recent breeding has
  brought new cultivars to try.

The focus seems to be on shorter

plants with sturdy stems, plus flatter, less

reflexed flowers and longer flowering

seasons. Flowering times begin as early

as June and can go on into October,

with daisies attracting many bees

and butterflies.

The common name ‘sneezeweed’

is a mystery. There is a mistaken

belief that flowers can trigger

hay fever, but another

theory suggests dried

leaves were used to

make a snuff designed

to sneeze out any evil

spirits inhabiting a body.

All plant parts are toxic,

and apparently the sap

can irritate the skin, although

I have never experienced this.

Heleniums are easy to propagate by

basal cuttings or division in spring and,

once a number have been raised, the

new plants will create drifts alongside

grasses, perovskia, sedums and phlox.

The shorter cultivars are great for

containers, either alone or with geum

and grasses to create a mini prairie.

How to grow...

Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’
can grow to 39in (100cm) tall
All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

Helenium

Proving just how resilient they are, this

helenium was found in a neglected border

full of grass and brambles. Watered and

mulched, it should return to full health

Helenium ‘Rubinzwerg’ is compact and upright

with dark-red fl owers in summer and autumn

The gold-brown

fl owerheads of

Helenium

‘Waltraut’ can

be up to 3in

(8cm) across

heard of the ‘Chelsea Chop’, and had

little concept of the helenium

stream banks. The cultivars

is a mystery. There is a mistaken

belief that flowers can trigger

hay fever, but another

theory suggests dried

leaves were used to

make a snuff designed

to sneeze out any evil

spirits inhabiting a body.

All plant parts are toxic,

and apparently the sap

can irritate the skin, although

I have never experienced this.

The fl owerheads of

heleniums attract bees

and butterfl ies

Buy a plant, grow it on

and, after three years,

divide it into fist-sized

sections in spring. Plant

divisions 12in (30cm)

apart to make a

larger drift.