Description
Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ is a vibrant, long-blooming perennial that brings a burst of fiery color to the late-season garden. Its daisy-like flowers feature a striking blend of golden yellow, orange, and red, with a deep brown central cone that attracts bees and butterflies. Blooming from midsummer to early fall, Mardi Gras thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, forming a sturdy, upright clump that adds height and movement to borders and prairie plantings. Heat and drought-tolerant once established, this low-maintenance plant provides weeks of brilliant color, making it a standout in any pollinator-friendly garden.
The boldly colored blooms of Helenium are especially valuable late summer into fall, when few perennials are at their peak. Full sun and an organic-rich, well-drained soil are best; satisfy these requirements and the sturdy plants will brighten a border, meadow, or wild garden. Superb cut flowers.
Genus name comes from the Greek name helenion which is the name of a Greek plant which honors Helen of Troy. It is unclear as to the relevance of Helen of Troy to the within genus of plants which are exclusively native to North and South America.
Powdered disk flowers and leaves of this species have in the past been dried and used as snuff, thus giving rise to the common name of sneezeweed.
- Full sun | H: 2-3′ W: 1-2′ | zone: 4-9
- Attracts butterflies
- Mostly deer resistant
- Cut flower
