Name: Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Prairie Sunset’
Type of Plant: Herbaceous perennial (meaning the foliage dies to the ground in the winter and comes back from the roots in the spring) that grows best in full sun.
Why I love this: This perennial is tall without being too imposing, and because the stems are fine and airy the plant has great motion in the wind. It’s also in flower for a long time for a perennial – From June into September!
A Word to the Wise: This plant can easily grow 5 to 6 feet tall. If this is just a tad too large for your garden don’t be afraid to chop the top foot to eighteen inches off early in the summer. The plant responds by staying shorter and produces even more flowers. Do not, however, plant this where it gets hit frequently with irrigation. This is a perennial that likes well drained soil and a deep watering once a week…it doesn’t respond well to frequent sprinkling with water.
The dark stems and strong green foliage are as attractive as the yellow flowers that have a blush of orange around their centers. This plant is a good for meadow-style beds and butterfly gardens.
There are three ‘Prairie Sunset’ plants in this bed. This year I chopped them back by about 18″ in July, which has kept the display of yellow flowers in scale with the Eupatorium purpureum (pink in rear) and the blue Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’. On the far left are the white-turning-to-pink ‘Pinky Winky’ Hydrangea flowers.
