Plant Camp Monday's

Helenium (Sneezeweed, Helen's Flower)

Here on the homestead I'm growing a hybrid sneezeweed Helenium 'Sabins Early Flowerer'.

Sneezeweed , just the sound of them makes my nose itch. But this name comes from the fact that the leaves and flowers were once used for snuff not because it is an allergen. Cherokee Indians used to make the dried flowers into a herbal snuff as a cure for colds.

Heleium grows wild in the western mountains states and can be toxic to livestock over an extended time of grazing.

Its closely related to the sunflower. Great for cottage or wildflower garden with other summer flowers such as Salvia, Heliopsis, Helianthus, Sedum, Agastache, Lilies, and ornamental grasses.

Great for the bee and butterfly gardens.

A new plant for me. I purchased my plant at Powell Gardens http://www.powellgardens.org/ plant sell this spring . I couldn't resist.

I plan to divide plant once it gets established , nice for cut flowers and I'll see if it dries well for arrangements. This plant is such a bright and fun plant to look at.

My plant likes to be in full sun and will grow to about 3 ft high . its a native perennial that is easy to grow and blooms for several months beginning in midsummer , altho mine started blooming already. The flowers open deep red w/a brown and yellow cone . Then it develops orange and yellow streaks on its petals.

I might try some blues in the background and really pop those bright colors out even more.

Here's a link with more info http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3343654/How-to-grow-heleniums.html

Well its thumbs up for this plant. I'm just glad I don't have to say gesundheit when we have visitors over and they pass by my plant. But I won't mind saying a God Bless YOU. Now that's nothing to sneeze about .

Thanks for joining in on the Plant Camp. If you got this plant growing tell us about it and how you like it. Leave a link if you like to expand our Plant Camp over to your blog pages and you can share about your plants growing . That would be so much fun.

See ya next Monday
tc linda