With bright yellow flowers in poetic dimensions, the sun bride celebrates a tete-a-tete with our mother star throughout the summer. Don't wonder any longer how this floral magic will unfold magnificently in your garden. Here you will find well-founded answers to frequently asked questions.
How do I properly care for a sun bride (Helenium)?
The sun bride (Helenium) prefers a location in full sun with fresh, moist, nutrient-rich garden soil. It should be watered regularly and fertilized monthly. Care for them by deadheading and pruning to promote lush blooms and rebloom.
Planting sun bride correctly
Plant the sun bride in September/October in a sunny location with fresh, moist, good garden soil. Their floral power is displayed excellently in the group. Therefore, create several small planting pits at a distance of 50-80 cm. Enrich the excavation with compost and horn shavings. It is an advantage if the previous planting depth is maintained. Tall growing species should be provided with a support rod right from the start. To ensure that Helenium grows optimally, an adequate water supply plays a central role in the first few days and weeks.
Care tips
The sun bride will develop her unique long-distance effect in the garden if you treat her to this care program:
- Water Helenium regularly when the soil has dried out
- Fertilize organically monthly from May to August
- Mulching with leaves, grass clippings and nettle leaves
- Prince the young shoots at least once in May/June
- Cleaning up wilted flowers
- Prune by a third in July to encourage rebloom
- Cut the leaves close to the ground either in autumn or early spring
We recommend light winter protection in harsh winter locations and in the year of planting. Leave the wilted foliage on the plant until February/March. Additionally, spread a layer of leaves, compost and coniferous twigs over the bed with Helenium.read more
Which location is suitable?
Her name leaves no doubt about where the sun bride feels at home. Therefore, plant the flower in a full sun to sunny location. The perennial wants to be warm and, above all, protected from the wind so that wind does not destroy the dreamlike picture. If it is allowed to extend its roots in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and freshly moist soil, the beauty of Helenium leaves nothing to be desired.read more
The correct planting distance
Growth height and habit of the favored Helenium define the best planting distance. For your orientation, we have put together recommended distances for common species and varieties:
- Wild species Helenium hoopesii with a growth height of 50-70 cm: planting distance 50 cm
- Sun Bride hybrids with a growth height of 80-100 cm: planting distance 70 cm
- Sun Bride hybrids with a height of 100-160 cm: planting distance 80 cm
What soil does the plant need?
Their love of sun does not imply that Heleniums prefer dry, sandy soil. On the contrary, the summer beauty only thrives in fresh, moist soil, rich in nutrients and populated with vital soil life.
What is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant Helenium is in autumn. The roots establish themselves more quickly in the warm summer soil than in the cold spring soil. If you plant the sun bride in the ground in September or October, it will start the first growing season with a vital growth lead.
When is flowering time?
The main flowering period extends from the summer months of July and August. This doesn't stop some Helenium cultivars from stretching their flower discs towards the sun as early as May, as the wild species celebrates. If you don't get tired of the flowers, cut back the first bunch of flowers. The subsequent bloom then lasts until October.
Cut sun bride correctly
Scissors play a central role in the professional care of Helenium. On these occasions you cut the sun bride correctly:
- Prince the shoots in May/June for bushy growth and a vital abundance of flowers
- Clean out wilted stems during flowering to make room for subsequent blooms
- The most beautiful Heleniums cut early in the morning as decorative vase decorations
If regular cleaning seems too time-consuming, cut off the withered flowers by a third in one go in July. A subsequent bloom then develops until autumn. Pruning close to the ground can be done either in October/November or February/March.read more
Watering sun bride
Don't let a sun bride thirst. If the flower suffers from summer drought stress, this dilemma means the immediate end of the flower's splendor. Therefore, water Helenium regularly and abundantly without causing waterlogging. Ideally, the summer flower receives water directly to the roots and is not watered overhead.
Fertilize sun bride properly
Strengthen the sun bride once a month from May to August with an organic fertilizer. Compost, horn shavings, guano or plant manure provide Helenium with all the important nutrients. Cultivate the summer beauty in the bucket, administer a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 14 days.
Wintering
In mild locations, the sun bride copes with the winter without having to take explicit precautions. If the bed is in a rough region, we recommend the following protective measures:
- Leave the leaves on the perennial until early spring
- Cover the plant with leaves and conifers
- Cover the bucket with foil or jute and place it on wood
The greatest danger of winter does not come from frosty temperatures, but from drought stress. If there is no snow while it is freezing, water Helenium on mild days.
Propagate Sun Bride
If you would like more specimens for your garden, there are two methods of propagation to choose from. How to grow new Helenium yourself:
- Division of the rootstock in spring or autumn
- Harvesting the seeds in autumn and sowing them from February on the windowsill at 20-22 degrees Celsius
Seedling propagation using self-harvested seeds, however, has the disadvantage that the resulting young plants only bloom for the first time after 2-3 years.read more
How do I transplant correctly?
After 3 to 4 years, the abundance of flowers on a sun bride noticeably decreases. If you dig up the root ball in spring and divide it into two or more segments, this measure will contribute to rejuvenation. Planted in a sunny spot in humus-rich, fresh, moist soil, the transplanted Helenium once again sparkles with vitality and flowering joy.
Is Sunbride poisonous?
As an aster family, the sun bride is closely related to food plants such as lettuce or chicory, as well as important medicinal and spice plants such as arnica or chamomile. There is therefore no trace of toxic components anywhere in Helenium.
Sun Bride doesn't bloom
If the sun bride withholds her flowers from us, there is usually a solid reason behind it. The most important causes for the lack of flowering at a glance:
- Location too dark – solution: transplant to a full sun spot
- Too lean, sandy, dry soil - solution: enrich the soil with compost and mulch with leaf mold
- Drought stress – solution: water Helenium regularly and abundantly
- Seedling propagated plant – solution: wait for 2-3 years until the first flower appears
Beautiful varieties
- Sahin’s early flowerer: Innovative novelty with flowers in delicate orange shades, well stable; Growth height up to 140 cm
- Double Trouble: Impresses with semi-double, golden-yellow flowers from July to October; Growth height 70-90 cm
- Septembergold: Late-blooming Helenium, whose rich yellow flowers with brown-red underneath last until October; Growth height 80 cm
- Flame Wheel: Premium variety with red-yellow flamed flowers and brown heart; Growth height 120-140 cm
- Building Director Linne: Wonderful cut flower with bright red flowers; Growth height 130-150 cm
