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The end of the summer season is a very colorful period, when lushly blooming roses, clematis, and peonies give way to later, but no less colorful crops. Autumn helenium is one of these, revealing its charm just at the time when most garden plants are fading.
Bright and very colorful helenium flowers are a real asset to the autumn garden.
General description of autumn helenium
Helenium autumnale is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family of the genus of the same name. Under natural conditions, this flower can be found along roads and roadsides, as well as in wetlands and meadows. Its homeland is North America, the plant is distributed throughout the world as a garden crop. And when the proper conditions are provided, helenium grows quickly, forming branched, flowering and lush bushes.
Stems are erect, slightly pubescent, powerful. In one bush their number ranges from 1 to 7 pieces; together they form a column. Depending on the variety, autumn helenium can grow from 50 cm to 1.5 m in height. The green mass is moderate, located alternately along the entire length of the stem. The leaf blades are small, lanceolate, elongated, with jagged or smooth edges, and slightly pubescent.
The flowering period is from July to October. The very first buds can be seen already at the end of June on the tops of the shoots. At this time, single flowers with a protruding rounded basket are formed. Their diameter is approximately 3-5 cm. Color varies from yellow to brown-red. The petals have a jagged edge. The core is convex, consisting of numerous small tubular flowers.
From 15 to 20 inflorescences can form on one stem at a time. Depending on the variety, they have a terry, semi-double or simple surface and vary in shade.
At the end of helenium flowering, cylindrical, oblong achenes of a light brown hue, slightly pubescent, appear. They do not exceed 2 mm in length and have a crest of 5-7 scales.
Popular varieties
Today, thanks to the work of breeders, there are a considerable number of different varieties of autumn helenium that can meet the expectations of even the most fastidious gardeners. At the same time, hybrid species have a significant advantage, namely a longer flowering period.
Helenium Fiesta
Helenium Fiesta reaches a height of 1 m and is an erect bush with elongated lanceolate leaves. The flower shoots are underdeveloped, and baskets with a diameter of 5 cm are formed at their ends.
The flowering period is average (August-September), but despite this, the variety is quite popular among gardeners. Helenium Fiesta received recognition due to the unusual coloring of the petals, namely the yellow edge on both sides, which turns into orange closer to the middle. In inflorescences, this color looks very bright, reminiscent of a fiery flame on a golden background.
The unusual color of the helenium variety Fiesta allows you to create unique autumn compositions in the garden plot
Helenium Chelsea
The recently bred hybrid of Helenium Chelsea (Chelsey) is a medium-sized variety (60-80 cm), with an inflorescence circumference of up to 8 cm. The color of the central part has a rich brown-red hue with a golden belt, while the tubular flowers combine 2 tones at once (bright -yellow and crimson).
The flowering period of Chelsea variety Helenium falls in July-August
Moerham Beauty
Moerheim Beauty is one of the most common varieties of autumn helenium. The bush is tall (90-120 cm), the stems are strong and resistant to wind. The tubular flowers are initially bronze-red when opened, but then change color to fiery orange. The central convex part is terry, with a burgundy color. The inflorescences are medium in size, up to 6.5 cm in circumference. The plant blooms from early August to mid-October.
The Moerhem Beauty variety is distinguished by tall and quite powerful stems that do not need support
Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday is one of the low-growing varieties of autumn helenium, which reaches no more than 50 cm. The stems are smooth, without the usual edge for this type of plant.
The flowers are small, only 3 cm in circumference. Their color is burgundy-red, and the embossed core has a yellow-brown color.
It blooms for a relatively long time, starting from the end of the first week of July.
Due to its small size, the autumn helenium variety Ruby Tuesday is suitable for cultivation in containers
Double Trouble
Helenium variety Double Trouble is very impressive in appearance thanks to its bright yellow flowers. Its bushes grow up to 80 cm in height, the diameter of the inflorescences is approximately 4.5 cm.
The color is lemon, and the convex yellow core with a greenish tint. And during the entire flowering period (from July to the end of September) the color of the inflorescence does not change.
The Double Trouble variety is the only terry
Application in landscape design
Helenium autumn is popular not only among gardeners, but also among landscape designers, due to its unpretentiousness and later flowering period.
This plant looks good both in mono-plantings and in compositions. Tall varieties of autumn helenium can be used as hedges or for decorating the facades of outbuildings on the site. When using helenium as a tapeworm, it will look impressive against the background of other late-flowering plants. In this case, plants such as delphinium, sedum, rudbeckia are suitable.
Medium-sized specimens perfectly complement cascading flower beds in the background.They can also harmonize well with flowers that are similar in shade: marigolds, heuchera, goldenrod, saplings.
Often a more contrasting combination is used, namely, autumn helenium is planted together with snow-white asters or bright varieties of phlox.
The combination of phlox with helenium allows you to create an even more interesting atmosphere with bright colors
Low-growing varieties are most often used to frame borders and garden paths.
Features of reproduction
To propagate autumn helenium, 3 methods are used:
- seminal;
- cuttings;
- using sockets.
The seed method involves sowing seeds in open ground or to obtain seedlings. But, as a rule, this method is not only ineffective, since not all planting material can sprout, but it is also the most time-consuming, because planting seedlings must begin in early spring.
The cutting method, compared to the seed method, is considered faster. For successful propagation of autumn helenium, planting material is first selected and prepared. A suitable cutting is cut from the shoot, then it is placed in a special solution with a root growth stimulator. Afterwards, the rooted cuttings are planted in open ground.
Reproduction of autumn helenium using rosettes is also a quick method. This method should be used in the spring, since in the fall there is a possibility that with the arrival of the first frost the seedling will die.
Growing autumn helenium seedlings
Despite the fact that the seed method is not the most successful, it is still used for propagating autumn helenium. Basically, this method is more common in the northern regions.
Sowing helenium seeds for seedlings is carried out at the end of February or at the beginning of March.In this case, it is best to choose long containers made of durable plastic or wooden boxes. The substrate should be as nutritious as possible, so it is recommended to use ready-made store-bought soil intended for growing flowering plants.
Before laying the substrate, a drainage layer must be provided. For this, expanded clay or crushed stone is used. Also make sure that the soil is moist. Helenium seeds are placed superficially, without deepening them, but lightly sprinkling them with a thin layer of sand. The container is covered with glass or film and placed in a room with a temperature of approximately + 20 °C.
If all the initial steps are performed correctly, then the first helenium shoots will hatch within 4-5 weeks. And when 2 full-fledged leaves appear, the seedlings are transplanted into separate peat pots, simultaneously pricking them.
Planting and caring for autumn helenium in the ground
Having received good and healthy seedlings of autumn helenium, you can begin to transplant them into open ground. It is also possible to sow seeds directly to a permanent place. It is only important to comply with planting dates and all care requirements in both cases.
Autumn helenium seeds have a low germination rate, so it is worth using the seedling growing method
Recommended timing
Autumn helenium seedlings are planted from late May to early June, depending on climatic conditions. It is important that the earth is well warmed up.
If seeds are sown directly in open ground, this can be done in late autumn in the second half of October and early November. Spring sowing is also possible - in April-May.
Site selection and soil preparation
There are no special requirements for choosing a place to plant autumn helenium, but it is still worth considering the following:
- good illumination of the area, partial shade is acceptable;
- protection from draft winds.
The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic, not depleted and well permeable to air.
Before planting, the area must be dug up, removing all weeds. Then organic fertilizers (compost) are added. If the soil is highly acidic, then lime should be added to it.
Landing algorithm
The algorithm for sowing seeds and planting Helenium autumnal seedlings in open ground consists of the following steps:
- In the prepared soil, first make shallow grooves (1-2 cm deep) at a distance of 25 cm from each other.
- Helenium seeds are evenly distributed into the recesses and lightly sprinkled with a layer of sand.
- Water the planted area abundantly.
- As soon as all the water is absorbed into the soil, mulch with a thin layer of peat or humus.
- The bed is covered with a film, which is removed daily to ventilate and remove condensation.
When planting seedlings, they are planted in a garden bed taking into account a distance of 15-25 cm from each other. Ideally, per 1 square meter. m there should be no more than 4 helenium bushes.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Helenium autumn requires frequent and abundant watering, as it can hardly tolerate drought. Irrigation is especially necessary in the summer, despite the fact that the plant blooms closer to autumn.
It is also worth considering that stagnant moisture in the root zone is detrimental to the plant, so it is advisable to provide drainage when planting.
Autumn helenium also needs feeding, as well as watering. It is fertilized at least 3 times per season:
- spring feeding, it is done in early May by watering the plant with nitrogen-containing fertilizer (for example, a solution of urea with water in a ratio of 20 g per 10 l);
- the second feeding, it is carried out at the budding stage using mineral complex fertilizers (preparations such as “Agricola-7” or “Agricola-Fantasy” are suitable) they are diluted with 10 liters of water and 1 liter of cow manure;
- autumn feeding, it is carried out at the end of October to strengthen the plant for the winter (in this case, a solution of potassium sulfate and superphosphate, 20 g each with 10 liters of water, is suitable).
Loosening, weeding, mulching
To avoid water accumulation, the soil must be loosened after each watering of the helenium. This procedure is also necessary to ensure that the plant’s root system is more saturated with oxygen.
At the time of loosening, it is worth weeding at the same time so that weeds do not choke the growth of autumn helenium.
To reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil and reduce the number of weeds, you can mulch the root zone of the plant. Dry peat or sawdust should be used as mulch.
Pruning and care during flowering
Helenium autumn needs regular pruning. This will maintain a beautiful shape and dense greenery. Pruning is also necessary because at the end of flowering the stems begin to die and dry out, so they need to be removed. This is done by leaving at least 15 cm on the surface.
Diseases and pests
Autumn helenium is a plant resistant to many diseases and pests, but the bush can still be affected by a disease such as chrysanthemum nematode. Signs of its appearance are drying and falling leaves.
To get rid of the pest, the plant is first thoroughly examined, then all affected parts are removed and watered with a weak sulfur or lime solution.
As for diseases, the most dangerous for autumn helenium are rot and fungus, which can arise due to waterlogging of the soil.
Conclusion
Helenium autumnalis is a unique garden plant that, with proper planting and proper care, will delight you with beautiful flowering throughout the fall. It looks great in compositions and in single flower beds, and also plays an important role in floristry, allowing you to create bright bouquets.
