possibly delay flowering. Pinching
plants every couple of weeks, starting
around mid-May and going until
mid-June, will produce more compact
plants with more flowers. Another
method that offers similar results and
possibly slightly delayed flowers is to
simply cut plants back once by half or
two-thirds in early to mid-June,
layering the outer branches.
Some gardeners prefer to cut the
plants back to about 12 in. in mid-July
for bloom 6 weeks or so later on plants
half the normal size, although a good
deal of bloom time is lost with this
technique. If such a drastic delay is not
desired, a more practical alternative is
to remove 4–6 in. off the tips of the
plants when in tight bud, which will
delay flowering by only a week or two.
This technique is useful to delay
flowering on a plant that was pruned
earlier for height control. Other
options for gardeners include remov-
ing the tips from a few stems on an
individual plant to prolong the bloom
of that plant, or removing the tips of a
few plants in a large group to prolong
the bloom of the planting. Deadhead-
ing also prolongs bloom.
Plants are usually spindly at
planting and should be cut back by
half at that time for shorter first-year
plants.
Plants have dense foliage that can
be prone to mildew late in the season.
Plants should be cut back by half to
two-thirds or even to basal growth, if
present, after flowering to reduce
occurrence of mildew or to remove
infected foliage.
other maintenance Plants
require sufficient moisture during the
summer for best performance. They
flounder in dry conditions and tolerate
wet sites. Frequent division, every 2–3
years, often is needed to maintain
vigor. Staking is required, even with
many of the cultivars and hybrids,
unless pruned. Tall, weaker growth is
promoted by hot conditions.
related plantS Helenium autum-
nale ‘Waltraut’ offers an extended
blooming period, and ‘Moerheim
Beauty’ is erect and clump-forming so
doesn’t require support or pinching.Helenium autumnale
‘Moerheim Beauty’