Helenium puberulum Autumn Lollipop Seeds

Helenium puberulum 'Autumn Lollipop' is a truly original variety. All summer long, unusual globe-shaped inflorescences appear on strong, silvery stems. They age from brown to bronze then yellow, resting on a small petticoat of golden yellow petals. This robust plant thrives in full sun, in average garden soil providing it is well-drained. Captivating in the foreground of flower beds and borders, excellent for cutting, Helenium is easy to sow and never disappoints.

Helenium puberulum or Sneezeweed is a unique, short-lived perennial (sometimes an annual) that is native to humid meadows and valleys of California. It belongs to the large Asteraceae family. The H. puberulum species is less well known than H. automnale. 'Autumn Lollipop' is a cultivar selected for its more compact habit and more colourful inflorescences. It forms erect clumps that grow to about 80 cm tall for a spread of 45 cm. The leaves are mainly located at the base of thin, winged, branched stems covered with fine hairs. The flowering period is from July to September and is very popular with butterflies and other foraging insects. Each plant can produce up to 30 flower heads in one season, each one measuring about 2 cm in diameter. Unlike other helenias which have cone-shaped centres, those on H. puberulum are globe-shaped, made up of tiny florets with colours which vary from brown to bronze and yellow. Underneath is a small collar of slightly ruffled golden yellow petals (ray flowers). Flowers are followed by seed heads called achenes, filled with seeds that are favoured by birds. They self-seed fairly easily in cool, light soil.

Helenium puberulum 'Autumn Lollipop' displays very attractive, original blooms which look lovely in cottage-style gardens and large herbaceous borders. It blends well with other simple flowers such as cosmos, love-in-a-mist, poppies, thistles, echinacea, perennial sage, as well as ornamental grasses (Stipa tenuifolia, Muhlenbergia capillaris...). It is an excellent cut flower for fresh or dried floral arrangements.