Helen's Flower

Helenium autumnale

Helen's flower brings the season to a blazing close. The flowers are warm yellow, orange, and gold with reflexed rays around a prominent button center. daisy-like but richer, more saturated, almost glowing in September and October light. The warm color palette is perfectly tuned to fall, pairing naturally with ornamental grasses, asters, and the deep blue of native gentians. It performs best in moist soils and can handle seasonally wet conditions, making it valuable for rain gardens and low spots where drainage is imperfect. Plants form substantial clumps that strengthen with age, delivering more flowers each year. The seeds are useful for birds through late fall, and the basal foliage holds until hard frost.