Heliopsis helianthoïdes var. scabra Fire Twister

Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra 'Fire Twister' is a tall, colourful perennial plant, both in terms of its vegetation and its flowering. It stands out from afar in sunny or semi-shaded flowerbeds: its semi-double daisy-like flowers with changing shades bloom on decorative purple foliage throughout the summer. The whole plant forms a large flamboyant bouquet emerging from a non-invasive stump. This beautiful perennial, closely related to the famous sunflower, deserves to be planted in our gardens for its numerous qualities: it is an undemanding, hardy and vigorous plant that attracts bees and butterflies. Its radiant simplicity makes it suitable for wildflower compositions, and its flowers are very long-lasting in a vase.

Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra 'Fire Twister' belongs to the Asteraceae family. Its wild ancestor, the false sunflower, is native to North America. In nature, it is generally found in open woodlands and tall grass prairies, less commonly by roadsides. The 'Fire Twister' cultivar is a woody, non-spreading and non-invasive perennial plant. It forms a bushy clump, consisting of numerous sturdy stems, reaching a height of up to 80cm (32in) and spreading up to 45cm (18in). Its growth rate is moderate to fast. Flowering occurs from June to September. The inflorescences appear at the tips of branched stems, which are dark purple in colour. Each inflorescence consists of several semi-double flower heads. Each flower head is composed of ligulate flowers, which are the 'petals', surrounding tiny fertile florets on the central disk. The colour of the ligules ranges from red to orange, copper, and coppery gold, while the centre is brown-red. The foliage extends to the top of the stems, it is rough, and the leaves are lanceolate and toothed, somewhat cordate. Its colour ranges from dark purple to dark green. The aerial, deciduous vegetation dries up in winter and regrows in spring.

Trends can be quite inscrutable, as the upright habit of Heliopsis, their long flowering period, and their low maintenance requirements are all keys that should open the door to every garden... but no! Yet all specialists agree that they are excellent perennial plants. 25 years ago, Alan Bloom, a renowned perennial plant breeder in England, said: "They are certainly the last plants I would part with if I decided to eliminate the yellow colour from the flowerbeds in my garden." Combine the 'Fire Twister' Heliopsis with other tall, easy-going perennials such as hybrid mulleins, Verbena bonarienses, tansies, sneezeweed, and grasses such as Pennisetum...