Right now I’m liking the Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ blooming in the Lamp Post Bed. This is a cultivar of the native Helenium autumnale, also known as Sneezeweed. As a general rule I plant straight species native plants, but now and then I feel like something different. This is one of those times.
It’s just that at this time of year I’d like a bit more in the red-orange color range, and there are a number of Helenium cultivars that fit the bill. Sneezeweed is yellow, thought it does have an unusual shape.
People familiar with my garden know that I have many, many, many yellow native wildflowers – what some botanists call the DYCs (Damn Yellow Composites) – Rudbeckias, Silphiums, Ratibidas, Coreopsis, etc. So I feel I’ve done my bit on that front.
We used to have a Helenium cultivar called ‘Short’n’Sassy’. It had orange flowers that bloomed for months, starting in June. Sadly it was short-lived. ‘Mardi Gras’ is more typical of Heleniums in that it starts blooming in late summer and into fall, but it also has been more durable.
Soon the blue-purple of the former asters will make themselves felt, and I am looking forward to that. But even then, I’d like some color contrast in addition to the yellow of the Goldenrods. Of course, this is one reason why I grow Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) with its deep orange daisies. But the Heleniums provide a touch of red-orange more at mid-height.
Anyhow, as I peruse the online catalogs, that’s why I keep going back to various Helenium cultivars. Do you grow Heleniums in your garden? Do they make you happy?
gardeninacity 
I have not grown it but am totally with you on the colors!
Hard to resist!
I have not grown it before, but am looking at a page right now with one on sale, Mariachi Siesta! It’s reddish, and I may prefer to get that color in coreopsis, which I have a “thing” for.
They look gorgeous. I was very excited about Tithonia and I have tried it two years running with very little success. I think it may be too dry or hot here (?). Are any of the Helenium drought tolerant? Amelia
so far I’ve not grown heleniums, but I’m now in the process of making a late summer border so they will be on my list.
I started helenium from seed about 45 years ago. I have yellow, gold and orange. I love them.
I do not grow it, but I admire it. (I can say that about a lot of things!) I think the colors are perfect for this season but really nothing beats that Mexican sunflower. I don’t grow that either but some day I will and it’s because I’ve seen it in your posts. It’s glorious!
Yes it is!
I have two that I bought this year so they haven’t done much. But, my Mexican Sunflowers have struggled. Give me some pointers please because I love them but am not having much luck. 🙂
They like full sun but not too dry. They were tricky for me early this year because of the cold spring.
Tried sneezeweed some years back. Don’t recall the cultivar, but it was a yellow/orange/rust colored and delightful. But it fizzled out after two years. I’ve never tried it again. Good luck with yours!
Thanks!
Not in my garden, but very pretty.
They are, indeed.
I think you solved our garden mystery. He throws the plant sticks away and sometimes I’m lost. We have a great bunch that was beautiful and reminded us of zinnias, but now fading as fall came on. There were reds, yellows oranges-they are a wonderful happy “flavor” to the garden. Thanks for solving…we’ll go with the Helenium name rather than Sneezeweed.
A prettier name, for sure.
More Helenium? Me Too! I love this plant, maybe because it’s been very reliable for me, and feel it is underused. Not sure of the cultivar I grow but it’s short and sweet and provide that yellow to rust range of color that I look for.
We had the native helenium, more in the yellow range, growing for years in the herb garden where I volunteer. It was great because of the late summer bloom.it went by the wayside when the garden was renovated. I’ll have to look into the cultivars. Thanks for reminding me!
Jason, what is the white flowering plant interspersed with your helenium?
Prairie Spurge – Euphorbia corollata.
You’re welcome!
I’ve never grown them but I have sold them when I worked at nurseries and I find native sneezeweed here.
The cultivars are very pretty!
I haven’t tried growing them, but any plant named Mexican Sunflower should grow well in most parts of Australia.
I would think so.
I don’t have any heleniums but they are on the list for the front garden, where I am placing more of the “hot” colours. The plant in that colour range that I’m really loving this year is Gaillardia. It has been blooming nonstop since early summer – I believe the variety is Arizona Red Shades and I grew it from seed last year. It forms a mound & is just covered with flowers and then seed heads. There are still some blooms on it and another self-seeded mound that came up this year bloomed later and is still in full flower mode.
Yes, Gaillardia is a beauty. I don’t grow it because it wants more sun than I can offer in most places.
I love this plant and so do the butterflies! I had one growing for a few years but it didn’t come up this year. I think the 90 plus days of 90 degrees last year didn’t make it happy. I need to get more.
Would not make me happy, either.
So many great plants. Not enough space!
Very true!
I’m still laughing at my misreading of your title. I thought at first it said, “I want more helium.” All things considered, that might be just the thing to make 2020 more bearable! I love the Helenium. We have several native species — at least a half dozen — and one of them, purpleheaded sneezeweed (H. flexuosum) is one of my favorites. I’ll have to dig out some photos to post; it’s a plant I’ve not yet shown in my blog, and it is delightful.
Would helium help? Willing to try anything.
Gorgeous blooms
Sadly helenium, which I love, do not last long in my garden so I have stopped trying.
That can be a challenge for so many plants.
I will put in a plug for the cultivar Sahin’s Early Flowerer. I think it’s brilliant. Takes way more drought than you would think for a helenium.
Sounds promising!
I do indeed, and I love them. They make me happy! Something about their cute size and shape, I think. I grow the straight species but am interested in your cultivar. It is really pretty and I know what you mean~sometimes you just want a little orange out there and so many orange flowers don’t seem to live long. I’m glad to hear this one does.
A great flower for late in the season.
Rich colours for late summer/early autumn – we all need them to warm us up on cooler days as the sun dips lower in the sky.
Exactly!
These cultivars are really pretty. Just the right colors for this time of year. Seeing these makes me want more heleniums too.
It’s catching!
I have no Heleniums and think I must remedy that having read this post! I currently have Helianthus Lemon Queen and Rudbeckia Prairie Glow for my oranges and yellows, but no Heleniums…. 😉
I seem to recall seeing lots of Helenium in England when we visited there years ago in September.
Yes, I like all of these! Bright, colorful, late summer blooms! I haven’t tried Helenium, but I do enjoy it when I see it.
Maybe they have some at Olbrich’s?
More?!
You are fortunate that you do not have more space. Otherwise, you would never come in from the garden.
I refuse to consider that a good thing.
That is a lovely plant, what rich colours. I love the name sneezeweed!xxx
It’s a funny sort of name, isn’t it? But it really doesn’t make people sneeze.