Helichrysum: photo of flowers, double, Pink porcelain, bract, other types and varieties

In the photo of helichrysum flowers you can see a huge number of species and varieties with various colors of inflorescences - from white and yellow to rich red and purple. These are unpretentious plants that enliven any corner of the garden. They are able to retain their shape and color for a long time after cutting, so they are used as dried flowers to decorate winter bouquets.

Description of helichrysum

Helichrysum is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. The name translates as “golden sun”, which is due to the bright color of the flowers. It is also called tsmin or immortelle because the flowers retain their shape and shade for a long time even after drying. The plant forms low, moderately spreading bushes.The stems are ribbed and can be either erect or creeping along the ground.

The leaves are arranged alternately. They are very narrow, lanceolate-shaped - about 1 cm wide, and 3 to 7 cm long. They are painted in a rich dark green color, they can also be bluish or yellow (depending on the type and variety). The stems and foliage are covered with pubescence.

Brightly colored inflorescences:

pink;
raspberry;
rich reds;
yellow;
orange;
white.

The panicles or baskets reach 5–7 cm in diameter. In the center of the inflorescence the flowers are tubular, and closer to the edges they are tubular-filamentous. Each flower consists of a center and wrapper leaves, which create the main background. The flowering period is very long: from the beginning of July until the first ten days of October, when frost sets in. After this, each peduncle produces a dry fruit with small seeds.

Types and varieties

There are more than 50 different species in the genus Helichrysum, of which 30 are cultivated. In nature, they are common in the warm climates of Africa, Australia and Asia (tropical and subtropical zones). However, flower growers have developed several dozen varieties that are well adapted to the climatic conditions of the temperate zone, including in Russia. The most popular varieties of helichrysum and photos of flowers in the garden will help in choosing a crop to decorate the area.

Helichrysum bractae

Helichrysum bracteatum (bracteatum) is a tall perennial plant, the upper shoots of which reach 75–80 cm. The leaves are typically lanceolate, dark green. Each peduncle has 6 tubular flowers, the colors are white, orange, pink and bright red. Flowering lasts a very long time - from the beginning of July to the first half of October, and in the south - until November.

Advice! To make the bush more beautiful, it is advisable to pinch the main shoot above the sixth leaf. Then the plant will produce several side shoots.

Helichrysum bractae produces bright orange and red flowers that look good against the light green leaves

Helichrysum daisy flower

Helichrysum bellidioides originated from New Zealand. This is a low-growing, groundcover plant (no more than 15 cm in height), producing many stems. Both the leaves and shoots are covered with fluff, which gives them an interesting whitish tint. The lower leaves of this helichrysum are larger than the upper ones (length 1–1.2 cm and 0.4–0.7 cm, respectively).

The daisy-flowering type of helichrysum is distinguished by abundant flowering; it can be used to decorate nondescript places in the garden

The flowers are small - diameter from 1.5 to 3 cm, have a silvery-white hue.

Attention! Helichrysum margarite-flowered is a plant with low winter hardiness and can withstand frosts down to -18 °C. Therefore, in Russia it can only be grown in the southern regions.

Helichrysum terry

Terry gelichrizum A mixture of colors - a tall plant up to 100 cm. Up to 25 double flowers appear on each plant, reaching a diameter of 6–8 cm.

Various colors - white, yellow, orange, red-brown, purple, pink

Thanks to this, it is used not only in garden decoration, but also as a dried flower for winter bouquets. The plant is propagated by seeds, which are planted in open ground at the beginning of summer (for seedlings - at the end of March).

Helichrysum dwarf

Dwarf helihrizum (helihrizum dwarf) reaches a height of 30–40 cm and a width of no more than 20 cm. The flowers are brightly colored. There are shades of yellow, orange, red and white.Suitable for growing on a personal and industrial scale. One of the best dried flowers, it retains its color and shape for a long time. Used to decorate flower beds and winter bouquets.

Helichrysum dwarf blooms in the year of planting

Helichrysum petiolate

This type of immortelle Helichrysum petiolare is one of the most popular among gardeners. And not because of the flowers (their colors are not too bright), but because of the beautiful decorative foliage. The leaves are of an interesting oval shape, completely covered with a grayish layer of fluff.

The shoots are creeping, tall - up to 100 cm. They can hang from flower pots and also cling to support, such as hops.

The pubescence gives helichrysum an attractive silvery hue.

Important! The petiole species is heat-loving, so it is grown in containers.

They are taken outside only in the summer, when the threat of return frosts has passed.

Helichrysum selago

The annual creeping plant Helichrysum Selago produces small, dark green leaves. The surface is glossy and looks beautiful in the light. The inflorescences are formed at the tops, they are small, colored in light yellow tones.

The flowers of Helichrysum Selago are inconspicuous, but the foliage looks very unusual

Helichrysum coralliformes

Helichrysum coralloides - originated from New Zealand. This is a dwarf bush with branched stems 20–25 cm high. The leaves are very small, there are so many of them that they resemble scales. The plant is unpretentious, grows on different types of soil and even on tuff (porous rock). Flowering is inconspicuous, the flowers are light yellow.

Helichrysum coral-shaped bushes reach their greatest decorative value by the age of three.

Helichrysum angustifolia (silver)

Another decorative type of immortelle is a shrub up to 60 cm high (about the same width).The leaves of silver gelichrizum are very narrow, numerous, and silvery in color. The peculiarity of the variety is that the foliage gives a pleasant aroma. The flowers are yellow and appear from July to the first half of September.

Important! This variety of helichrysum is thermophilic and can withstand winter frosts only down to -18 °C.

The narrow-leaved species is decorative due to its numerous narrow leaves of a silvery hue.

Helichrysum ampelous

Ampel gelichrizum (ampelic) is one of the popular species that gardeners prefer to grow in hanging pots and take outside only in summer

The flowers are collected in umbrellas, and appear only on the tops of the shoots. They grow evenly, resulting in a ring of bright flowers and interesting foliage hanging around the pot.

Helichrysum arenarium

The Helichrysum arenarium variety is not tall - the erect stem grows up to 35–40 cm. The leaves are small in size - 2–6 cm long. The inflorescences are spherical baskets with yellow or orange flowers (10–30 on each plant).

Helichrysum arenarium inflorescences completely cover a small bush

Helichrysum Milford

One of the most beautiful flowers of Helichrysum Milfordiae. The inflorescences consist of 2 parts - the inner (white) and the outer (deep pink). Unlike most species and varieties, it begins to bloom in May (the end of the period is in July).

Milford immortelle flowers look great in bouquets

The best varieties of helichrysum

Almost all cultivated varieties and types of helichrysum are highly decorative due to their bright, numerous flowers or attractive leaves of an unusual silvery hue. The most interesting varieties are used to decorate the garden and make bouquets.

King size

Helichrysum bracteatum Korolevskiy razmer produces large bushes 80–100 cm high, provided there is plenty of watering. Flowering begins in July and ends in October. The inflorescences are also large - they are graceful baskets with a diameter of 7–8 cm.

The color of the Royal size variety is rich red, raspberry, beetroot

Silver rose

Helichrysum Silver rose has a very unusual color. The inflorescences of this immortelle have a soft peach hue, partly pearlescent, and look beautiful in the sun. The bush reaches a height of 90 cm, the diameter of the flowers is 7–8 cm. The plant loves open sunny places. The bush is not very spreading, so when planting you can leave an interval of 25–30 cm.

Silver rose is one of the most beautiful varieties of immortelle

Swiss giant

Helichrysum Swiss giant has the trade name “bright set”. This is an assortment of bright red, pink, yellow, orange inflorescences. The bushes are tall - up to 100 cm, prefer open sunny areas. Thanks to this palette of colors, the flower is suitable for any flower bed; it is also used as a dried flower for making compositions.

Helichrysum Swiss giant allows you to create a flower bed to suit every taste

Pink porcelain

Pink porcelain is an elegant dwarf shrub no more than 20 cm high. The plant produces numerous creeping shoots. It begins to bloom from mid-July until the onset of the first frost. In reviews, flower growers describe Helichrysum Pink Porcelain (pictured) as an interesting, lush flower of a soft pink hue. The inflorescences are elegant, about 2.5–3 cm in diameter. Pink porcelain is a heat-loving plant, so it needs to be grown at home, although in summer it can be taken out to the balcony or terrace. It looks especially beautiful in a flowerpot.Pink porcelain will appeal to lovers of delicate pastel colors

Pink porcelain is a heat-loving plant, so it needs to be grown at home, although in summer it can be taken out to the balcony or terrace

Byzantium

Helichrysum Byzantium (vizantiya) seed mixture is a variety of immortelle with medium-sized, moderately spreading bushes from 60 to 80 cm in height. Brightly colored inflorescences: white, yellow, pink, red, orange. Flowering is abundant and lasts from July to the end of September. For planting, choose flower beds in open, sunny areas. This variety of immortelle is used to create beautiful landscape design, as well as as a cut flower (as a dried flower).

Byzantium is an annual plant that is grown in seedlings.

Silver Mist

Helichrysum Silver Mist is rightly considered one of the best varieties. Leaves have an unusual velvety texture. They are distinguished by their small elegant sizes and oval shape. The foliage has a silver tint and looks beautiful anywhere in the garden. The bush does not need to be pinched and trimmed; it does not grow very quickly, but evenly. As a result, adult helichrysums of this variety grow to a height of up to 20 cm, and spread up to 40–50 and even 60 cm in width.

Helichrysum Silver Mist is decorative throughout the season thanks to its attractive silvery foliage

White sun

The White sun variety is distinguished by very large flowers (7–10 cm in diameter) of snow-white color. The bushes are quite large, reaching a height of 90 cm. They look good in single plantings, as well as in combination with the immortelle Silver Rose. The inflorescences can be used for dried flowers: in this case, they should be cut off at the moment when they are only half open.When planting, leave an interval of 30–40 cm - the greater the distance, the more spreading the bush and the more luxuriant the flowering.

Large immortelle flowers White Sun will enliven any corners in the garden

Advice! Since the bush and inflorescences are very large, this variety is used to create a background, and it is better to place smaller ornamental plants in the foreground.

Violet

Violet is a large shrub, grows up to 100–110 cm. The inflorescences are purple, red, burgundy, with bluish tints. They look very bright and attractive; the diameter of the inflorescences is 4–6 cm. They appear from the beginning of July to the first half of September.

Violet is one of the most beautiful types of helichrysum, combined with many flowers

Yellow

Helichrysum Yellow is a variety of helichrysum bract. It produces fairly large bushes 95–105 cm high. Flowers of rich yellow color (like sunflower petals), 5–6 cm in diameter, appear from the last ten days of June to the first days of September.

Yellow is a classic single-color variety that can be used both in single plantings and in compositions

Bright yellow flowers look good in flower beds and garden beds.

Application in landscape design

Helichrysum is unpretentious in care. The culture produces a large selection of brightly colored flowers. Therefore, the flower has become very popular among experienced and novice gardeners. Plants are planted in flower beds, ridges, and used in single plantings and mixborders. Seedlings can be placed in pots and flowerpots on the terrace and in the garden.

They can be combined with almost any color – you just need to take into account the size ratio. Helichrysum is often planted next to the following plants: lobelia, aubrieta, rezuha and others.

Below are several options for using helichrysum flowers in a flower bed with photos and descriptions:

Single landing.
Composition of different varieties.
Mixborder.
Ground cover.
Solitaire planting option.

Use of helichrysum as a dried flower

Almost all cultivated species and varieties of helichrysum have the ability to retain the color and shape of inflorescences for a long time. Therefore, they are used not only to create beautiful compositions in the garden, but also as dried flowers for making winter bouquets.

For these purposes, the inflorescences begin to be collected in August, until the moment when they begin to fade. It is recommended to take flowers that have recently opened and have not yet fully bloomed. It should also be noted that the inflorescences should not have any defects. Even slight damage as a result of drying will become much greater, so such dried flowers will not last long.

Another important point is that it is better to collect inflorescences from plants that bloom for the first season (annuals or young perennials). They are the ones that last the longest. Collection begins in July or August. The weather should be warm, without rain or strong wind. Cut the flower stalks using regular scissors or a sharp knife. Then they begin to dry the helichrysum. You should not do this in the sun, as the petals will lose color.

Experienced gardeners dry inflorescences in three ways:

On open air.
In sand.
In cotton wool.

In the first case, the baskets are carefully placed on a wire and then hung with the flowers down on a terrace or other open space (under a canopy). Dried flowers will be ready in 20–25 days. If it’s humid outside and it’s constantly raining, it’s better to take them into a room with high air temperatures (for example, a kitchen) and hang them from the ceiling.

Drying in sand is easier, so it is used more often.To do this, pour a layer of sand 8–10 cm into a container and lay the flower stalks with the inflorescences up, leaving small distances between them (i.e., simply stick them into the sand, like into soil). Leave it in the room for several days, then cover the inflorescences themselves with sand for a month. The resulting dried flowers will retain their shape and color for a whole year.

To dry with cotton wool, take a sheet of cardboard, make several holes at a distance of 8–10 cm and insert the stems into them. A layer of cotton wool is placed on the cardboard, where the inflorescences are placed, and a second layer goes on top. The structure is covered with another sheet and tied together. Hang from the ceiling and leave for a month in a warm room.

Conclusion

Photos of helichrysum flowers show the variety of colors of these plants. Flower growers can use almost any species and variety - the choice is limited only by winter hardiness. When creating a flower bed, it should be located in an open sunny area, protected from strong winds.