Helenium Potters Wheel

Helenium 'Potter's Wheel' is a variety of Helenium that stands out for the colour and design of its flowers: its round, medium-sized flowers, which appear to be sculpted from red clay, have petals that are finely edged in gold, surrounding a large cone that transitions from brown to golden yellow. They bloom in late summer, on a tall plant with sturdy stems that can withstand harsh weather conditions. It is a robust and hardy perennial, easy to grow in sunny and moist soil. Its flowers are stunning in a vase.

The natural species of Heleniums are perennials native to North America, typically found in marshes or wet and sunny areas. The 'Potter's Wheel' cultivar offers a late summer flowering period, from August to late September, with a rare colour and vigorous growth, making it a great addition to flower beds. The plant forms robust and branched leafy stems, reaching about 1.30m (4ft) in height. It occupies an average of 60cm (24in) of ground space. The dark olive-green leaves are lanceolate in shape, with slightly dentate margins, and are arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers, organized in heads, bloom at the top of the stems. These heads, 5cm (2in) wide, are centered around a large conical structure that gradually transitions from brown to yellow. At the periphery, the expanded and slightly dentate florets display a colour that is intermediate between red and brown, each with a fine golden yellow border. The colours of Heleniums are most astonishing when bathed in sunlight. They have the advantage of not losing their brilliance in the sun.

The 'Potter's Wheel' Helenium is a beautiful and robust plant for flower beds, resistant to diseases, that thrives in any good garden soil that remains moist. It only flowers well in the sun, alongside Persicaires, Vernonia, and Chelones that appreciate the same growing conditions. Despite all these qualities, Heleniums remain rare in gardens, perhaps because their warm tones herald the arrival of autumn. Also, consider combining them with Goldenrods, perennial salvias, asters, and grasses (Miscanthus, Panicums).