Helianthus giganteus Sheilas Sunshine

Helianthus giganteus 'Sheila's Sunshine', also known as giant perennial sunflower, is a non-invasive woody-rooted plant that forms a giant and bushy clump with wind-resistant sturdy stems. It blooms from late summer to the end of autumn with simple daisy-like flowers in pastel sulphur yellow and a dark centre. This sunflower brings a lot of joy to wildflower beds and the blooming mass of perennial asters and chrysanthemums towards the end of the season. Perennial sunflowers used to have a bad reputation due to the wild species that tended to invade the entire garden because of their long trailing rhizomes. The plants we offer are not or hardly invasive. Suitable for any ordinary soil, even clay or dry, and of course in full sun.

Helianthus giganteus belongs to the Asteraceae family. The Helianthus genus includes one of the most important oilseed plants in the world, the sunflower from which oil is extracted. This perennial sunflower is native to North America, from the eastern United States to southeastern Canada, from Nova Scotia to Georgia via Mississippi. In the wild, this plant can reach a height of 4 metres (13 feet). 'Sheila's Sunshine' is a relatively modest-sized cultivar, with its stems reaching 2.50 metres (8 feet) from the ground. It forms a large upright clump, somewhat spreading, taking up little space on the ground, about 60cm (24in). The overall appearance is a bouquet of sturdy, rough, branched, velvety, dark, woody stems. Flowering occurs from August to October-November and is highly attractive to bees. The flowers appear at the top of the stems in large numbers, resembling round daisies with a diameter of 5cm (2in), pale yellow in colour with an almost black-brown centre. The deciduous dark green obovate velvety leaves measure 10cm (4in) in length and are distributed up to the top of the stems.

The great advantage of perennial sunflowers is their late flowering and excellent adaptation to heavy, clayey, moist, and even chalky soils. Helianthus giganteus 'Sheila's Sunshine' is an excellent non-invasive long-lasting perennial with good durability. Vigorous, it is perfect for the back of flower beds or borders, or even in mixed borders. It has a wildflower appearance and will integrate well into slightly wild areas of the garden, alongside Cosmos, sainfoin, perennial sweet peas, tall Scabious, Gaillardias, Japanese anemones, and pendulous Carex. Another idea for association with equally easy plants: Vernonia noveboracensis, Symphyotrichum laeve var. 'Bluebird', Eupatorium fistulosum, Symphyotrichum georgianum, Andropogon virginicus, Muhlenbergia capillaris.