Perennial of the Month-- March 2002 
Perennial of the Month-- March 2002
(heel-ee-op’siss)
Common name: Sunflower Heliopsis, False Sunflower
Family: Asteraceae (Aster, Composite, Daisy)
Height x Width: 18-32" tall, 12-18" wide’
Growth habit: erect, loosely branched clump
Growth Rate: moderate
Foliage: unique variegated white with green veins, 2-3" long, opposite, lanceolate
Flowers: daisy-like flowers, golden, 2-3" across, darker centers, midsummer then sporadically until frost
Hardiness: zones 3 to 9, AHS heat zones 9 to 1
Soil: well drained
Light: full sun
Pests & Problems: few serious
Landscape Habit, Uses: middle to front of island beds and borders; combines well with garden phlox behind, fall mums, asters, shasta daisies, daylilies, ornamental grasses such as Panicum ‘Prairie Sky’
Other Interest: common name from fact flowers resemble sunflowers only perennial, much smaller and short, and bloom earlier; originally found by Brent Hanson of Rhinelander Floral Co., Rhinelander, Wisc. and named in honor of an employee (Loraine) with a "sunny" disposition.
Other Culture: Division should be done every 2-3 years if grown in very rich soil, otherwise every five years is adequate, in fall or spring. Don’t allow to dry out if possible, wilts readily, and may topple, or get leggy if grown in part shade
Propagation: home—division as above, commercial—protected, only by licensed propagators
Sources: Blooms of
Bressingham growers, retailers