This perennial produces rafts of bright yellowed flowers in summertime .
Although not an actualsunflower , assumed sunflower ( Heliopsis helianthoides),with its bright chicken daisy - like flower , adds gay color to a garden bed or margin . False helianthus is more summary ( so less likely to fall through ) than the real deal . It also starts blooming earlier , so you may love the undivided , semidouble , or doubled peak over many weeks . Many varieties grow 3 - 5 feet tall , while some smaller varieties are less than 2 feet tall .
While this plant ’s 2- to 3 - inch - diam blossom are not as large as those of asunflower , they are give birth in turgid enough quantities to make up for it . In most specimens , each flower comprises a unmarried row of golden flower petal around a sorry yellow center oculus . ( That ’s why this plant is often call ox eye . ) Some multifariousness comport twofold peak that admit an extra Seth of petals for a fuller flavor . For additional interest , check out variegate varieties with foliage in unlike dark-green , white , and pink mix .
Credit: Andreas Trauttmansdorff
Where to Plant False Sunflower
Grow false sunflowers infull sunshine to boost the phone number of flowersand facilitate the need for support for the taller varieties . They are excellent additions to a bungalow garden bed or reduce garden , and they develop well in containers .
How and When to Plant False Sunflower
Sow the seminal fluid outside in early springtime or former fall in plentiful , loamy territory that is well - draining and slightlyacidic to neutral ( pH 5.5 to 7 ) . If you must choose between wet or ironical soil , select dry ; the flora does better in a juiceless environs . If youstart seed indoors , allow about ten weeks from when the ejaculate is sown to when the seedlings are ready to transfer in the garden . Plan to have the seedlings ready to transpose in early August or before the last spring frost .
False Sunflower Care Tips
Light
faux helianthus grow well in full sun . With variegate varieties , full sun brings out the most sensational colorations in the leaf . You may be capable to get by with part sun , particularly with variegate sort , but design on stake floppy plant life .
Soil and Water
False helianthus arise good in well - drained soil , but this plant tolerates poor dirt ( clay or sandy ) and rocky condition . Growing fake helianthus in skimpy soil act as a raw outgrowth regulator , helping prevent the plant from flop .
Temperature and Humidity
Although fake sunflower is drouth - patient of , it can handle high humidity as long as the soil drains well . However , fungous diseases like powdery mildew may increase in moist areas .
Fertilizer
sour helianthus does n’t require anysupplementary impregnation .
Pruning
To deflect floppiness , rationalise plants back by one - third in late spring to other summer to encourage short , well - branched specimens . After the plants finish blooming , cut them back to 2 - 3 inches for the winter .
Deadhead spent blossomsto better the works ’s appearance , encourage reblooming , and reduce or foreclose self - seeding .
Potting and Repotting False Sunflower
Shorter motley of off-key sunflower make first-class container plants . Choose a large cadaver pot with drain holes andfill it with potting soil . Place the container out of doors near a terrace or other sit area . It demand full sun and protection from firm winds . If you cut the flora back to a few inch from the filth at the ending of the growing season , it should not demand repotting .
Pests and Problems
False helianthus is now and then bothered by powdery mildew , a foliar fungus that certify as a white powdery coating on lowly leaves . While this condition is unsightly , it will not likely cause long - term damage . The best control is bar . If your plantsexperienced powdery mildewthe former season , houseclean up last year ’s dust in the spring . plant false sunflower in full sun keeps leafage desiccant , another option for preventing mould .
Plants that are damage or weakenedmight attract aphid , which can be treat with insecticidal soap orneem vegetable oil .
How to Propagate False Sunflower
off-key helianthus is easy to disseminate from air division , seeds , or basal cuttings .
Divisions : False helianthus benefit from being divided every two or three years , and the divisions are an fantabulous elbow room to obtain extra plants . Dig up a mature plant , being careful to poke deep so as not to damage the roots . practice a sharp spade or tongue to cut the industrial plant into two or three section , each with leafage and root . Replant the divisions immediately in a prepared garden bed .
Seed : harvest seed from a put on helianthus is another means to circularise it . After a heyday dies , put the flower foreland and a short department of prow from the works in a report old bag . Place the cup of tea in a warm , dry billet . When the cum caput is totally dry , bring out it apart with your digit to free the seeds , or — if you are harvesting several seed caput — put them in a container with a lid and shake it to tease apart the seeds from the stalk . Use a kitchen strainer to separate the lilliputian seeds from the relaxation of the material . Store the seeds in a ironical place until planting season .
Credit: Andreas Trauttmansdorff
Basal film editing : Basel cutting aresimilar to bow press cutting , except alternatively of cutting at the top of a grow stem , slue at the soil pedigree of a young , late emerge fore about 6 inches improbable . polish off the leaves from the bottom half of the carving , dip it in rooting hormone , and slip in it into a minor pot filled with potting soil . After it develops a rich root organisation , it can be transplanted out of doors or to a larger container .
Types of False Sunflower
‘Double Sunstruck’ False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides’Double Sunstruck ' has dual - icteric prime atop variegated foliage on dwarf plants , making it a winner . This short plant produce less than 2 feet tall . industrial plant in zones 4 - 9 .
‘Loraine Sunshine’ False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides ' Loraine Sunshine’has superb xanthous flowers that team up with nearly white foliage with potent green mineral vein . It grows 2 to 2.5 feet tall . found it in zones 4 - 9 .
‘Sommersonne’ False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoidessubsp.scabra’Sommersonne ' farm compact clumps of serrate foliage , above which blossom slimly double , 3 - inch - wide golden daisies . It stands 3 feet tall and is very long - blooming . Plant it in zones 3 - 9 .
False Sunflower Companion Plants
Aster
Astersget their name from the Latin Good Book for " star , " and their flowers are indeed the whiz of the fall garden . Some types of this native plant can make up to 6 foundation with flowers in white , pink , fat purples , and showy lavenders . Not all asters arefall bloomer . Extend the season by growing some of the summer flub , as well . Some are naturally compact , while the types that grow more than 2 feet improbable welfare from stake or an former - time of year pinching or cutting back by about one - third in July to keep the flora compact .
Yarrow
Yarrowis one of those plant that gives a wild flower look to any garden . It is a native plant and easy to manage for . In some gardens , it thrives with almost no care , making it a good candidate for naturalistic plantings in open areas and along the sharpness of wooded or other wild places . Its colorful , flat - top blooms rise above clusters of ferny leafage . The tough plants resist drouth , are seldom eaten bydeer and rabbits , and spread jolly quickly , making milfoil a good choice for massing in borders or as a groundcover . If deadheaded after its first flush of blooms slice , yarrow will rebloom . If left to dry on the plant , blossom clusters of some type offer wintertime interest . heyday of milfoil are excellent in fresh ordried arrangements .
Blue Oat Grass
Refined and refined , gamey oat grassadapts well and equip every bit well in courtly or informal gardens . Its hillock of grassy gray - blue folio arch gracefully throughout the season . In descent , panicles of brownish spikelets reach for the sky well above the leafage .
Frequently Asked Questions
Because they are moth-eaten - fearless perennial , false sunflower plants come back every year for about five year , but they ego - seed ( unless deadheaded before they can ) to provide a continual supply of these plants .
The cheery blooms attract bees , butterflies , hummingbirds , songbirds , and other pollinating insects .
pretended helianthus has very rich roots , which can forestall erosion . False sunflower can also be a source of food for birds during wintertime month .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Tim Murphy
Credit: Eric Roth
