Helenium Zimbelstern

Helenium hoopesii 'Zimbelstern', fruit of 20 years of selection in Germany, combines all the qualities expected from this perennial of fresh grounds: a long flowering period, earlier than other varieties, large well-coloured flowers, in honey yellow slightly streaked with orange-red, but above all sturdy stems despite their height exceeding 1m (3ft).  Its flowers, loved by butterflies that land on their powder-coated yellow pollen-filled bulging hearts, create warm bouquets and accompany the most beautiful autumn colours in the garden. It is also a very hardy and reliable perennial, easy to grow in the sun, in fresh and well-drained soil.

Heleniums are perennials of the Asteraceae family, native to North America, where they most often grow near marshes. The cultivar 'Zimbelstern', which can be translated as copper star, comes from the species Helenium hoopesii, a perennial with very richly coloured flowers and vigorous vegetation. 'Zimbelstern' is a large, active and very floriferous variety. It has a bushy habit, with branched stems reaching a height of 1 to 1.20m (3 to 4ft). From August to October, a large number of heads endlessly open at the top of the stems. These inflorescences resemble large 7cm (3in) diameter daisies. In the centre, the shiny cone, coloured brown, gradually gives way to yellow stamens. At the periphery, florets of amber yellow more or less touched with red-orange fade, taking on a more coppery hue in perfect harmony.

The 'Zimbelstern' Helenium is a robust plant, very hardy and never sick. It appreciates ordinary soils that remain fresh and sunny exposures. Easy to grow, it flowers equally well on slopes, in flower beds, and in pots on the terrace. Despite all these qualities, Heleniums remain rare in gardens. Perhaps because their warm tones announce autumn a little too quickly, while the garden and the gardener are still trying to hold onto the last summer blooms; they are, however, the ideal complement to asters. 'Zimbelstern', in combination with Rudbeckias or Echinaceas, goes very well with autumnal plants such as grasses and sunflowers, but it can also be associated with a deciduous spindle tree, whose foliage ignites at the first cold, or with the sumptuous dyer's vine. In a different setting, the velvety foliage of Stachys, the blue-violet spikes of salvias or Perovskia greatly enhance the warm hue of this flowering. One can also let pretty bushy clematis run among the clumps of Heleniums, such as Clematis heracleifolia for example. Its feathery silver fruits are magnificent at the end of the season.