Wintersown just this past winter, helenium is already blooming nicely. Pretty.



Karen

very pretty

Nice combination of plants, Karen.

Thanks.

We had 4.2" of rain overnight Sunday night. You too, Linda?

Karen

Didn't hear the total, but we got a ton of rain Sunday and through the night. Glad to get it though.....I always like to see the trees/shrubs well-watered going into fall and winter.

Me, too. It was impressive rain at the time. So hard! There was no thunder that I heard, and not much lightning that I saw, but the intensity of the rain at the time was amazing.

Karen

I was not successful with the helenium this year. Yours are lovely. Do you think that direct sowing in the fall would be OK here in zone 9?

And what is the pink flower plant next to it? I have an unidentified plant with similar leaves, but has not yet bloomed.

That pinkish flower is a dwarf Joe Pye Weed.

Karen

I have never grown helenium. Did you save seeds or buy? It has been cold and foggy here so was looking on the net for new plants : I saw a Baby Joe Pie which is smaller than Little Joe. Any of you have one? Wondering if you like it.

Springcolor, sorry, I didn't save seeds. I'm not much of a saver any more. My seeds came from trade with an online garden friend. I only planted a few seeds to try the plant, see if I liked it. I saved some of those traded seeds to plant this year. But I think helenium is pretty common, probably easy to find.

I've never had a baby Joe Pye. Mine in the picture above is "Little Joe" Joe Pye.

Karen

Karen when did you put your Helenium out for WS?

Of course, I don't remember! I don't keep records any more, I just sow when I'm in the mood, put them outside, and forget them until spring.

That said, I do pretty much stick to wintersowing perennials in winter, tender annuals in spring. It's a pretty good bet that I did helenium during winter.

Karen

Would the regular type sunflower seeds do better with WS or Spring Sow?
Maybe I should just try both ways.

Lynn, I would almost think regular sunflowers would do best with either spring sowing or direct sowing. They don't like to be transplanted, so you'd have to do it when they were fairly small.

I spring sowed them in cow pots.. saves the transplanting part.. and the critters ate them after I put them in the ground

My critters leave my sunflower plants alone, but I get lots of volunteers from all of the sunflower seeds they filch from the birdfeeder and bury

Okay, spring sowing will be what I do for my sunflowers. I think I will do it this way. The plastic tote will act like a greenhouse, and being in individual containers will lessen the transplant shock. I just put the lid on it at night so they stay warm.