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Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ - a couple of questions

The Bird LadyThe Bird Lady Posts: 225
in Plants
I'm growing Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ for the first time this year, I received it as a bare root, planted it up and it's growing well, is now quite tall and has plenty of buds.  I wondered whether I should have pinched it out at all to produce more stems?  It doesn't look straggly, it already has a few stems, hence the question.  

The other question is should I dead head to keep it going?


Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I have a couple of big clumps of Lemon Queen and I never bother deadheading. It keeps going well into the autumn without. I sometimes "chelsea chop" a clump in May but I didn't this year. It then flowers on slightly shorter stems and later, but I don't think it's as effective as it is on things that have floppy tendencies like phlox and hylotelephium.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I don't pinch out my Lemon Queen, they form a sizeable clump quite quickly and plenty of flowers.
     I do deadhead them, but only for the first couple of weeks. They tend to produce so many flowers that l run out of steam before they do !
  • The Bird LadyThe Bird Lady Posts: 225
    Thanks ladies, great advice.  I'm looking forward to seeing it in full flower.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited July 2022
    @TheBirdLady have a large area of H Lemon Queen all along the length of a small border under a window. It will be a sea of lemon against a blue. As said too many floers to deadhead but even the floers that have gone over look good. Every year after flowering I lift each clump improve the soil and put back a third. This stops it getting too tall.  
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • The Bird LadyThe Bird Lady Posts: 225
    Sounds lovely, thanks GSuze! :)
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @TheBirdLady Sorry about the typing going to the Opticians tomorrow, hope the air con is working!
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    It's a bit of a thug in my garden. Iam aways chopping the clump back, I've give countless divisions away
  • The Bird LadyThe Bird Lady Posts: 225
    Oh right - I've got mine in a very large pot with the intention of putting it the ground when it's finished - perhaps I won't do that after all!
  • greyfingersgreyfingers Posts: 19
    I've got quite a few Lemon Queens in my garden which always look great in Aug/Sep - one of my few successes. The great thing about it is, if you have one growing in a pot that is nice and healthy, pull it out of the pot and chop it into quarters. Stick one back in the pot, then you have 3 that you can put out in the garden, which will spread out nicely for the following year. Then the next year do the same again......
  • The Bird LadyThe Bird Lady Posts: 225
    Excelent idea - thanks a lot!   :)
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