Helichrysum bracteatum monstrosum Creamy White seeds - Strawflower

The Double Creamy White Everlasting, in Latin Xerochrysum bracteatum, is an essential annual plant for dry or fresh bouquets. Its paper-like flowers, composed of pearly bracts, remain decorative for a long time. The 'Creamy White' selection is characterized by a colour close to pearly white. Sow it in warmth from March, or directly in the ground after the frosts.

The Double Creamy White Everlasting is a woody perennial plant of the aster family. The species, Xerochrysum bracteatum, originates from Australia. It is most often cultivated as an annual in our climates due to its frost-sensitive nature. Its flower is a pearly golden yellow, a colour undoubtedly at the origin of its other name, Helichrysum (flower of the sun). Since its introduction to Europe, numerous hybridisations and selections have led to the creation of a wide range of colours, each more vibrant and cheerful than the next.

This Double 'Creamy White' Everlasting forms an erect clump composed of stiff stems that can reach 60 cm in height in a few weeks. Flowering occurs from summer to early autumn, depending on the sowing date. It is nectar-rich and loved by butterflies. The flowers are arranged in 6 cm diameter heads, distinguishing themselves from daisies and knapweeds by the absence of ray florets or petals, which are replaced by scaly, colourful, and shiny bracts. This characteristic allows the inflorescences to last a long time once dried, as these bracts do not "fade". Indeed, the papery flowers are low in water content and dry very easily. The rough stems are very leafy, the leaves have a narrow, dark green surface covered with a light white fuzz that gives it a soft silvery sheen depending on the light.

The Double 'Creamy White' Everlasting loves the sun, appreciates warmth and tolerates drought, but will be more beautiful and floriferous with regular watering. Plant it in a wildflower bed or a small flowery meadow, alongside cosmos, blue ornamental thistles, love-in-a-mist, knapweeds, annual poppies, and Flanders poppies. To create dry bouquets, cut the flowers before full bloom and hang them upside down in darkness to preserve their colour. Combine them with statice and grasses in your dry arrangements. Everlastings are also stunning in fresh bouquets, with asters, lilies, or roses in September.