Helenium Kupferzwerg

The Helenium 'Kupferzwerg' is a relatively compact variety of Helenium. This low-growing plant produces copper-coloured heads that are a mix of brown-red and yellow around a brown centre. The fresh foliage beautifully complements the warm hue of the flowers. It is a robust perennial, easy to grow in the sun in moist soil. It is ideal for bouquet arrangements.

The natural varieties of Heleniums are perennial plants native to North America, usually found in marshy areas. The cultivar 'Kupferzwerg' offers a very rich colour and a compact habit. The upright growth corresponds to stems reaching 80cm (32in) in height. The leaves, coloured in bright green, are lanceolate in shape with smooth margins and are arranged alternately along the stems. From July to September, a myriad of flowers appear at the top of the stems. Resembling 6cm (2in) diameter daisies, the heads are centred around a cone coloured in brown, gradually giving way to yellow stamens. On the periphery, colourful florets of brown-red mixed with yellow fade, taking on a coppery hue. It is when the sun highlights them that these colours are most astonishing. The warm tones of this flowering announce the beginning of autumn blooms. 

The Helenium 'Kupferzwerg' is a hardy plant and is disease-resistant. It appreciates ordinary soils and sunny exposures. Easy to grow, it flowers well in slopes, flowerbeds, or even containers. Despite all these qualities, Heleniums remain rare in gardens. Perhaps because their warm tones announce the arrival of autumn. This Helenium pairs well with autumnal plants such as asters, heucheras, perennial chrysanthemums, or rudbeckias, but it can also be associated with deciduous euonymus with sublime foliage as soon as the first cold weather arrives. In a more Mediterranean setting, the velvety foliage of stachys or salvias greatly enhances the warm hue of its flowering.