Heliopsis (Heliopsis) is a herbaceous perennial or annual plant from the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. There are more than 10 species of this plant. The most popular species of this genus is the sunflower heliopsis (Heliopssis helianthoides). A large number of varieties of this particular heliopsis and its hybrids are grown in culture.
Description of heliopsis
Heliopsis grows up to 160 cm in height. Stems are straight and branched. The leaves can be arranged, either alternately or oppositely. The leaves are oblong, the edges are jagged. Inflorescences are represented by a dense panicle. Baskets can be double or semi-double, with a diameter of 8-9 centimeters. In the middle of the basket there are tubular flowers that are yellow, orange or brown, ligulate flowers are orange or yellow. Fruit in the form of a bare and flat achene.
Growing heliopsis from seeds
You can grow heliopsis, both seedling and non-seedling. It is necessary to plant heliopsis seeds in open ground before winter or in the second half of spring. And for the seedling method, it is necessary to plant seeds at the end of winter. To plant seeds for seedlings, you need to prepare the soil, you need to mix business land, coarse sand and peat. It is very important fourteen days before planting the seeds to spill the substrate with a manganese solution and cover it with plastic wrap.
A drainage layer should be poured at the bottom of the containers, and holes should be made at the bottom. It is not necessary to deepen the seeds, it is enough just to distribute them evenly over the surface and crush them a little. You need to germinate seeds together with diffused lighting and at a temperature of 20 degrees. Then, for thirty days, you need to keep the seeds at a temperature of 3-4 degrees so that they undergo natural stratification. After that, the temperature can be raised to 25-28 degrees. The film needs to be removed daily to ventilate the soil and remove accumulated condensate. When the seeds begin to actively germinate, the plastic wrap must be removed.
When the seedlings develop a pair of true leaves, the seedlings need to be judged in separate pots with the same substrate. It is best to give preference to peat pots. After the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots, they must be grown at a temperature of 13-15 degrees. The soil must be periodically moistened and gently loosened around the seedlings after each watering.
Planting heliopsis in open ground
It is necessary to plant a plant in open ground at a time when the night frosts completely disappear and the soil warms up well. The most suitable time is the second decade of May and the first half of June. It is necessary to plant the plant in a sunny part of the garden, where there are no strong winds and no drafts. The soil must be well drained. To do this, you need to pour a thick layer of drainage, then cover it with a layer of sand and cover everything with clay soil mixed with compost.
Before planting, you need to prepare the pits.The pits should be about thirty to forty-five centimeters apart. You need to transplant seedlings together with an earthen clod. If during transplantation it was planted in peat pots, then you can plant seedlings in the ground directly in them, they will be as additional fertilizer.
Empty areas of the pit need to be filled with earth, compacted well and watered abundantly. If a tall variety is chosen for planting, then it is best to immediately install a support for it.
Caring for heliopsis in the garden
There is nothing difficult in caring for heliopsis, it is a rather unpretentious plant and does not require a lot of effort and time. Even a beginner in gardening can successfully grow heliopsis. In order for the plant to be healthy and beautiful, it must be watered regularly, and after each watering, gently loosen the soil, fight weeds. In order for the plant to bush better and bloom well, it is sometimes necessary to pinch the tops and remove dried inflorescences. With the help of pruning, maintain a neat shape, and with the help of a garter to the support, you can protect the flower from damage. Anything can be used as a support.
If you take proper care of heliopsis, monitor its health, then flowering will continue almost all autumn. Before the onset of frost in the autumn, heliopsis must be cut off at the root. The root system does not require additional shelter for the winter. The plant grows quickly enough and therefore, in order for the flower not to turn into a prefabricated grass, it must be carefully dug every five to seven years, divided and immediately planted in a new place prepared in advance.
Heliopsis is a drought-resistant plant, it perfectly tolerates dry and hot weather. But in order to get abundant and long flowering, it is still necessary to sometimes water it. For watering, you need to use only settled and warm water, and it is best to water the plant in the early morning or evening. After each watering, it is imperative to thoroughly loosen the soil and remove weeds as needed.
Additional fertilizing should be applied only in the second year, since for young seedlings in the first year, those additional fertilizing that are introduced into the soil during digging are sufficient. The next year, you need to apply organic matter every month along with a mineral complex fertilizer for flowering garden plants.
Diseases and pests
Heliopsis can be attacked by black aphids. If the aphid was noticed at the very beginning of the attack, then you can get rid of it with the help of various herbal infusions. Severely damaged areas will have to be treated with special preparations, and if such treatment does not help, then the plant will need to be completely removed from the garden and burned outside its territory.
Of the diseases, heliopsis can be affected by powdery mildew and rust. You can get rid of such diseases only with the help of careful treatment with special preparations.
Types and varieties of heliopsis with a photo
Sunflower Heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides)
The most popular species of this genus. He and his hybrid varieties are most often grown in culture. Stems are erect, branched and glabrous. Grows up to one meter in height. Leaves are oval, pointed towards the apex with a serrated edge. The baskets are yellow with a tinge of gold.
Rough heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides var. Scabra)
Perennial. It grows over 150 centimeters in height. Stems are branched, gradually lignified, rough in the upper part. Leaves are oblong-oval or ovoid, once they are opposite, serrated at the edges. The tubular flowers are yellow, and the reed flowers are golden.
The most popular varieties of heliopsis:
- Benzingold. Baskets of this plant are semi-double, ligulate flowers are yellow, and tubular flowers are orange.
- Winter Sun, or Heliopsis Lorraine Sunshine. Grows up to 100 centimeters in height. Leaves are silvery-gray, veins are dark green, inflorescences are yellow.
- Variegated Sunburst. The baskets are simple, golden yellow. Leaves of a creamy shade with dark green veins.
- Venus. It grows up to 120 meters in height. The stem is powerful, the flowers are large, up to 12 cm in diameter, yellow-golden in color.
- Asahi. Grows up to 80 centimeters, terry baskets.
- Sommerzwerg. Grows up to 60 centimeters. The foliage is dark green and the baskets are golden yellow.
- Sonnenglut. Grows up to 120 centimeters in height. The leaves are shiny and dark green. Flowers are yellow-orange.
- Waterberry Gold. The color of the baskets is rich yellow. The flowers are semi-double. Grows up to 120 centimeters in height.
- Summer Sun Baskets up to 7 centimeters in diameter, have a bright red color.
- Prairie Sunset. It grows over 150 centimeters. Leaves and stems are dark green with a purple tint. The middle of the basket is orange, and the reed petals are golden yellow.
- Summer Knights. Inflorescences are bright yellow with an orange disc in the middle.
There are a few more popular varieties, but they are grown a little less often than the ones listed above.
