Helenium Baudirektor Linne

The 'Baudirektor Linne' Helenium is a variety of very tall sneezeweed, measuring up to 1.5 metres (5 feet). The flowers bloom in summer, resembling beautiful intense red and bright daisies that evolve into copper, around a brown-orange cone. The florets are slightly drooping. Heleniums, in general, are ideal formaking bouquets, as they are hardy plants and easy to grow.

Heleniums are perennial plants native to North America, where they are typically found on the edge of marshes. The 'Baudirektor Linne' cultivar has a very rich colour and vigorous growth. It has an upright habit with stems reaching up to 1.5m (5ft) in height. The leaves, coloured a bright green, are lanceolate in shape with smooth margins and are arranged alternately along the stems. During the months of July to September, a myriad of flowers appear at the top of the stems. The flower heads resemble large daisies 8cm (3in) in diameter, with a centre cone that gradually transitions to yellow stamens. At the periphery, intensely red florets fade to a coppery hue in perfect harmony. The warm tones of this flowering herald the beginning of autumn blooms.

The 'Baudirektor Linne' Helenium is a robust, hardy and disease-free plant. It thrives in ordinary soil and sunny locations. Easy to grow, it blooms equally well in slopes, flower beds, or containers. Despite all these qualities, Heleniums remain rare in gardens. Perhaps because their warm tones suggest autumn a little too soon; however, they are the perfect complement to asters. 'Baudirektor Linne' pairs well with Rudbeckias and autumn plants like asters or Heucheras, but it can also be combined with a deciduous Euonymus, whose foliage ignites at the first cold. In a different setting, the fuzzy leaves of Stachys or salvias greatly enhance the warm hue of this flowering.