False Sunflower – Heliopsis helianthoides

APPEARANCE

This mid-summer bloomer features golden yellow daisy-like flowers up to three inches across. The bright flowers with dark centers perch on stiff stalks rising from clumps of dark green foliage. Waves of these golden flowers are often seen along roadsides or in fields and meadows.

CULTIVATION

Heliopsis is an easy to grow perennial. It prefers well drained soil amended with compost, but will tolerate rocky or clay soils. Plant in full sun to part shade and remove the dead flowers during the growing season to promote new blooms. Divide the foliage clumps every two to three years to stimulate growth. Heliopsis is hardy in zones 3-9.

LANDSCAPE USE

A valuable addition to the perennial border or cutting garden, Heliopsis blooms from summer through fall. A mid to tall perennial that can reach heights of five feet, it is best planted in the back of borders or open areas. Grow with other colorful perennials such as campanulas, hardy geraniums and rudebeckias. The flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators to the garden.

Contributed by Valerie Smith, Colorado Master Gardener. For answers to your horticultural questions, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 636-8921, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays, or CSUmg2@elpasoco.com.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Holzmann.

 

California Poppies: Eschscholzia californica

APPEARANCE

With their vivid orange, saucer-shaped flowers, California poppies are familiar to anyone who has lived in the West. The showy blooms are set off by gray-green, fringed foliage that grows about six inches high. Named varieties may have double flowers, frilled petals, or come in a wide assortment of colors.

CULTIVATION

Although Colorado may lack the poppy-covered hillsides of the Golden State, these wildflowers are easy to grow here. They are not fussy about soil. Sow seeds directly into the sunny garden in early spring. Melting snow should provide plenty of moisture for germination. Watering during dry spells will keep these drought-tolerant plants blooming for several months. Although the tender plants won’t survive a Colorado winter, allowing them to self-sow will ensure plenty of flowers for next year.

LANDSCAPE USE

California Poppies are perfect for naturalizing among native grasses or in a rock garden. Try growing them in a parking strip, or along a long driveway. They quickly fill in bare spots in a new landscape.

Contributed by Leslie Holzmann, Colorado Master Gardener. For information, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 636.8921 or CSUmg2@elpasoco.com

Photo courtesy of Leslie Holzmann.