Helenium Okra Sundae

The 'Okra Sundae' Helenium is a variety of Helenium with a compact habit that flowers from late spring until the first frost, ideal for decorating the terrace or balcony. Its numerous ochre yellow flowers, sometimes tinged with old red, create a lively display in the garden or in pots. They bloom on sturdy stems, resilient to harsh weather conditions. It is a robust and hardy perennial, easy to grow in sunny and moist soil. Its flowers are magnificent in a vase.

The natural species of Heleniums are perennials native to North America, typically found in marshes or in humid and sunny locations. The 'Okra Sundae' cultivar offers a particularly long flowering period, from June to late September, and a not very tall but bushy growth habit. The plant forms robust and ramified leafy stems, reaching an average height of 68cm (27in). It occupies an average of 50cm (20in) of space on the ground. The leaves are coloured in a dark olive green, lanceolate in shape with slightly dentate margins, arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers, organized in heads, bloom at the tips of the stems. Measuring 5cm (2in) wide, these heads are centered around a large cone, colored in brown, gradually giving way to stamens covered in yellow pollen. At the periphery, the widened and slightly dentate florets display a dark yellow amber colour, sometimes with a fine reddish border. It is when the sun shines on them that the colours of the heleniums are most astonishing. They have the advantage of not losing their brightness in the sun. The above-ground vegetation, deciduous, dies in winter and regrows in spring.

The 'Okra Sundae' Helenium is a very attractive plant for containers and flower beds, very hardy and never diseased, which thrives in any good garden soil that remains moist. It only flowers well in the sun, accompanying the daisies and perennial sunflowers that also offer flamboyant hues. Despite all these qualities, Heleniums remain rare in gardens. Perhaps because their warm tones announce the arrival of autumn. Also, associate them with Goldenrods, perennial salvias, asters, and grasses (Miscanthus, Panicetum).