Choosing Heleniums

According to height

The helenium are tall, well-erect plants that often form impressive floriferous bushes, easily reaching heights of 1.50 m and widths of 50 cm for the more extravagant varieties! When well-established in any good garden soil that remains slightly moist, they can live for years, sometimes becoming invasive when they thrive.

The Small Heleniums

These smaller varieties are best placed at the edge or in pots. Their clump does not exceed 55 cm in height.

• The Helenium ‘Fuego’ is a compact, highly floriferous variety that does not exceed 60 cm in height.
• The Helenium ‘Short’n Sassy’ stands out with a stocky habit, not exceeding 45 cm in all directions, making it perfect for pot cultivation.
• The Helenium ‘Siesta’ forms a small, bushy and highly floriferous plant, 40 to 55 cm tall, adorned with bluish-red daisies.
• The Helenium ‘Poncho’, reaching 60 cm, showcases a truly vibrant long flowering period.

Heleniums ‘Short ‘n Sassy’, ‘Fuego’, ‘Poncho’

→ Discover Virginie’s advice sheet on growing Helenium in a pot

The Medium Heleniums

Their height ranges from 60 to 90 cm, making them the most versatile. With their upright habit, they are perfect for punctuating a slope, a flower bed, or a border.

• The Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ has stems reaching 60 cm high with a spread of 40 cm.
• The Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’, at a height of 90 cm, will make a significant impact at the back of lower perennial beds.
• The Helenium ‘Rubinzwerg’ is a beautiful floriferous variety, reaching a maximum height of 80 cm.
• The Helenium ‘Kupferswerg’ features a vibrant flowering supported by compact foliage reaching 80 cm high.

Heleniums ‘Mardi Gras’, ‘Moerheim Beauty’, and ‘Kupferswerg’

The Tall Heleniums

The tallest specimens, reaching 1 to 1.50 m, add substance to a flower bed with their strong chromatic presence.

• The Helenium ‘Baudirektor Linne’ stands out with its impressive height of 1.50 m!
• The Helenium ‘Tijuana Brass’ develops a vigorous clump of at least 1.50 m in height when in bloom.
• The Helenium ‘Zimbelstern’ attracts all eyes with its beautiful stature of 1 to 1.20 m in height.
• The Helenium ‘Rauchtopas’ carries its subtly shaded daisies at a height of 1.20 m.
• The Helenium ‘Kugelsonne’ is notable for its stems reaching 1.50 m high.

Heleniums ‘Zimbelstern’ and ‘Tijuana Brass’

According to the colour and shape of the flowers

Very floriferous, Heleniums offer us magnificent flowerings in vibrant shades ranging from brick red to copper orange, passing through canary yellow. Some florets are multicoloured or bicoloured, blending amber yellow, blue, orange, and copper.

Yellow-flowered Heleniums

Many varieties provide a flowering in this incredibly sunny hue! We particularly recommend Helenium ‘Double Trouble’, which bears bright yellow double heads, as well as Helenium autumnale ‘Pumilum Magnificum’ with canary yellow daisies, while Helenium ‘Windley’ displays a particularly bright yellow flowering.

Helenium ‘Pumilum Magnificum’

Orange-flowered Heleniums

They don vibrant autumn colours, particularly striking in Helenium ‘Flammenspiel’ with incandescent orange petals, and bright orange in Helenium ‘Waldtraut’, delicately flamed with brick red.

Helenium ‘Waltraut’

Red-flowered Heleniums

Intense, their vibrant and warm colour highlights a large brown centre. Approaching mahogany red, Helenium ‘Rubinzwer’ is adorned with rich tones. ‘Ranchera’ is unique with its red colour with bluish reflections fading to a very soft brick shade, while ‘Poncho’ blooms in glowing daisies edged in gold turning to muted red before fading. ‘Ruby Tuesday’ displays a collar of uniformly scarlet florets. The Helenium ‘Potter’s Wheel’ charms with its burnt red flowers finely edged in gold.

Helenium ‘Ranchera’

Bicoloured or multicoloured Heleniums

Original, bicoloured or multicoloured helenium are true little gems. Among them, the petals of ‘Tie Dye’ stand out with their pink and yellow stripes, while the daisies of ‘Fuego’ are beautifully variegated with yellow, red, orange, and copper. Very colourful and warm, Helenium ‘Marion Nickig’ is another variety blending red, intense orange, and yellow.

Helenium ‘Tie Dye’

According to flower shape

Some Heleniums stand out due to the shape of their flowers, displaying a more original appearance than their more classic cousins. This is the case for:

• Helenium ‘Loysder Wieck’, very unique with its radiating rolled petals like the wings of a windmill around a large brown cone.
• Helenium hoopesii, with its sunny yellow heads and ligules inflexed downwards.
• Helenium ‘Fancy Fan’ features highly rolled yellow petals revealing their contrasting orange reverse.

Helenium ‘Loysder Wieck’, Helenium hoopesii and Helenium ‘Fancy Fan’

According to the flowering period

There are early heleniums that begin flowering from May to July and late heleniums or “autumn heleniums” whose flowering extends from August to October, sometimes November.

Among the earliest, the Helenium hoopesii is certainly one of the earliest, gracing us with its yellow daisies from May. ‘Pumilum Magnificum’ flowers from June until the end of summer. Others like ‘Flammenspiel’, ‘Zimbelstern’, and ‘Siesta’ offer an abundance of flowers at the end of summer, waiting until August to bloom. Their flowering continues right up to the doorstep of winter!

Heleniums ‘Siesta’ and ‘Flammenspiel’

According to the use

• To flower a terrace, it is possible to grow certain small-growing heleniums in large pots or containers. Helenium ‘Ranchera’ and Helenium ‘Short’n Sassy’ are perfectly suited for this purpose.
• At the edge, medium-sized varieties, such as Helenium ‘Kupferswerg’ and ‘Dunkle Pracht’, will be ideal for adding a splash of colour and enriching the displays surrounded by low plants to highlight their flowering clumps.
• To add height, colour, and whimsy to the back of a border, opt for the larger heleniums such as ‘Kugelsonne’ or ‘Tijuana Brass’.
• For creating beautiful, vibrant summer bouquets, all heleniums are suitable for cut flowers. Their generous heads last a long time in a vase.