It's August and soon we'll hit that quiet time in our perennial flower garden after the early-summer flowers fade, but before the fall flowers shine. We're always looking for plants to fill this late-summer void and one of the best is Helenium.
Helenium is a hardy, native, aster-family perennial with few pests. It grows in damp areas in wild meadows. It also goes by the unfortunate common name of sneezeweed because it blooms when ragweed is flowering. Helenium doesn't cause allergies but dried leaves were used in snuff to induce sneezing that supposedly would drive evil spirits from the body.
But there's nothing evil about Helenium. Native forms grow three-to-five-feet tall with hat-shaped, small flowers that form in clusters of gold, orange and burgundy. Newer varieties have better flowering and some, such as "Short N Sassy" only grow 12-to-18-inches tall, fitting into small spaces easily.
Helenium grows best in full-sun on moist, well-drained soil. Apply compost in spring, but don't over fertilize or you'll get lots of foliage and fewer flowers. Helenium is tolerant of seasonal flooding and makes a good rain garden perennial as well. Flowering starts in mid-summer and lasts until frost, especially if you're diligent about deadheading.
Plant tall varieties of Helenium in the back of a flower border with other tall perennials, such as goldenrod, "Joe Pye" weed and tall rudbeckia. These tall plants help keep Helenium vertical. Shorter varieties can be grown with echinaceas, daylilies and sedums. Helenium also attracts bees and butterflies making it a must for any pollinator garden.
Clumps don't usually need dividing but can be split every four-to-five years. Deer, rabbits and wood chucks seem to avoid this perennial because of the bitter tasting foliage.
Now for this week's tip: harvest potatoes whenever the foliage starts to dieback. Don't worry about damage from potato beetles. Potatoes can lose up to a third of their foliage to pests and still produce a good crop.
