Mardi Gras Sneezeweed is a Native that has No Problem with Intense Heat or Drought

While traveling in England in July a few year ago — which materialize to be during a scorching heating system undulation — I hold back find one plant ; it stood out proudly despite the steamy conditions . While most of its neighbors had wilting fl owers and flag foliage thanks to the parched soil , this plant life was a 3 - foot - tall beauty . Later I let on that it was Mardi Gras ® sneezeweed , a beacon light of resilience amid adversity . With its fi ery heyday hues of flushed , orangish , and yellow , it seemed to shine blithely , unfazed by the record - breaking temperature . Its prodigious qualities were plainly no closed book to the gardeners of the UK , because I see it in almost every landscape I chitchat .

This perennial ’s ability to fly high with little irrigation highlights its adaptability and makes it a worthful asset in garden with unpredictable weather pattern . And its vivacious colors were seemingly untouched by the merciless sun . Like many Helenium varieties , Mardi Gras ® thrives in full sunshine but does fi ne with some partial nuance . It prefer well - drained dirt but is adaptable to various soil type , including clay and loam . While it can digest drouth circumstance , regular tearing during ironic enchantment will help maintain optimum increment and fl owering . There are many varieties of sneezeweed in a multitude of colors and growth altitude , but Mardi Gras ® is the perfect mixing of showy and well conduct .

you could expect this sneezeweed to bloom from midsummer through late fall . Because a exclusive root can gambol dozens of daisy - like blossoms , it ’s an excellent nominee for cut fl owers . The brilliant blooms are highly attractive to pollinators too , and the seedheads that are go forth behind are a favorite snack of bird . However , the biggest bonus of Mardi Gras ® is its cervid and lapin electric resistance . If your ground is on the moister side , your works may make upwards of 4 understructure magniloquent . In that case , you might need to stake it to prevent fl opping . To avail support the plant , I use a dark - colored Lycopersicon esculentum coop that is hidden by the leaf . This is an promiscuous - to - share perennial ; simply slice off chunks of the root mass with a shovel in spring .

The genus nameHeleniumrefers to Greek mythology ’s Helen of Troy , whose beauty was the cause of the Trojan War—”the face that found a thousand ships , ” as the locution hold out . In my garden , Mardi Gras ® brings a thousand smiles throughout its growing time of year .

Mardi Gras® sneezeweed

Helenium‘Helbro’

Zones:4–8

Conditions : Full sun to fond spectre ; well - drained ground

aboriginal range : North and Central America

Stacie Crooks is a landscape painting decorator and educator in Edmonds , Washington , who specialize in drought - tolerant designs .

reservoir :

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Pruning simplify : A Step - by - Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and shrub

ok horticulture get a commission for item purchased through links on this site , admit Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .

Lee Valley Mini Garden Shear Set

Gilmore Rubber Hose Washer 10pk

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos beam to your inbox .

Signing you up …

Nancy’s Oregon Garden in Fall

Great Plants for Hiding a Fence

Designing a Beautiful Back Border—Planting Plan

Matrix Planting

Join Fine Gardening for a costless engaging lively webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals expert manager …

When I espy a particular Baroness Dudevant dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in bother . With a delightful colouration traffic pattern …

When we only prioritize plant we desire over plants our landscape painting needs , each time of year is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , swipe , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you get into the backyard of garden interior designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - flunk by a pair …