Helenium autumnale, Common Sneezeweed / Helen’s Flower

Several years ago, these were tucked into a bed which had little preparation beyond flipping over the mixed turf to expose the very dry, sandy and silty soil below, to get them into the ground over the winter. And there they remained. Over time the surrounding perennial plants, especially grasses, returned and they didn’t receive any extra water, since this planting predated the well drilling by two years. And still, they have return and bloom beautifully every year.

Flowering starts in mid August and carries on into early to mid September most years. The plants are fairly narrow, not more than about 18” wide, and they grow to 3’ to 4’ tall where they are planted now. They seem to enjoy full sun and have proven to be very drought tolerant. They have expanded slightly over the years, but no more than most gardeners would expect for a patch of perennials, making these a species that could be incorporated into gardens where the inhabitants are expected to stay in place, rather than wander around.

In looking up the source of their common name (the plants can be dried and powered and used to intentionally induce sneezing, they don’t cause sneezing while growing in the garden) I did come across a note that the plants are mildly toxic if eaten, so probably not one for the school yard, but perfectly fine for most other sunny, dry locations. I tucked several seedlings into the Perth meadow and some beds that have hosted vegetables over the last couple of years as part of a transition from established, mostly European, grasses to a mixed native species meadow so I’ll get a chance to see how they do in some richer soil and with other flowering species as neighbours.

The two little caterpillars that appear in a couple of photos are the baby stage of Blackberry Loopers, lovely, pale green moths with cream patterning. One of a few species that Sneeze weed host as babies, while also providing plenty of sticky pollen for bees and wasps. They are equally generous at the seed stage, offering whole round heads of seeds that are easy to harvest and easy to germinate. They can be spring sown into warm soil, without any pre-treatment.

If you are planning a mid height, dry meadow, these, Pearly Everlasting, Nodding Onion, Orange Butterfly Weed, Hairy Beardtongue, Virginia Mountain Mint, Grey Stem Goldenrod, Heath Aster, Verbena hastata and New England Aster would all be good companions.