Helenium Kugelsonne

Helenium Kugelsonne is a very tall variety of sneezeweed that produces large, bright yellow daisy-like flowers. The flower's heart, which is rounded and prominent, is also yellow. This perennial blooms from August to October, allowing for beautiful bouquets to be made at the end of the season. In the garden, it enhances the blooming masses of asters. Sneezeweed, in general, is a hardy and easy-to-grow plant that thrives in sunny areas and moist soil.

Sneezeweed is a perennial native to North America, where it is typically found on the edge of swamps. The hybrid cultivar 'Kugelsonne' has a very uniform colour and vigorous growth. It has an upright habit with stems reaching up to 1.50 meters (5 feet) in height. The leaves are a vibrant green colour, lanceolate in shape with smooth margins, and arranged alternately along the stems. From August to October, a myriad of flowers appear at the top of the stems. The flower heads resemble large daisies with a 7cm diameter, with a yellow-green cone in the centre that gradually gives way to yellow stamens. On the periphery, numerous bright and light yellow florets are arranged in an open corolla. The sunny tones of this flowering illuminate autumn blooms and foliage.

The 'Kugelsonne' Sneezeweed is a robust and hardy plant that is never affected by disease. It thrives in ordinary soils and sunny exposures. Easy to cultivate, it is perfect for the back of borders. Despite all these qualities, sneezeweeds remain rare in gardens. Perhaps because their warm tones herald autumn a bit too quickly, but they are the ideal complement to asters. 'Kugelsonne', when paired with red varieties like H.'Moerheim Beauty' or purple varieties like H.'Bruno', also pairs well with autumnal plants like heucheras, but it can also be planted alongside a deciduous spindle tree whose foliage ignites at the first cold, or with dyer's madder. In a different setting, the fuzzy foliage of stachys or salvias greatly enhances the warm hue of this flowering.