Helenium Carmen

Bold and beautiful, Helen's flower is said to be named due to the central disc resembling the golden headdress worn by Helen of Troy. Certainly fit for a queen, Helenium Carmen displays bright, giant, yellow blooms, each petal with exquisite orange flushes and prominent central cones which turn orange-brown as they mature. The unusual and characteristic shuttlecock-like flower shape are produced all summer and into the autumn. Held on tall strong stems high above the foliage, helenium make perfect cut flowers, lasting well in a vase. Versatile, whether planted with grasses in a prairie garden, in a cottage garden, or in a more formal design, Helenium are happy in containers and borders creating bold colour for months on end, from mid-summer, until late autumn. Known also as Sneezeweed because the leaves were once used in snuff! Easy to grow and very long flowering, Helenium prefer to be grown in well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Helenium Carmen grows outside happily with no winter protection, reaching heights of approximately 1.2m and spreading to 60cm.