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Veronicastrums and heleniums

VerdunVerdun Posts: 23,348
in Plants
I am growing for,the first time veronicastrum and heleniums. Potted them up into 3 litre pots today for plantIng out in redesigned border Later. The veronicastrums are grown for their spikes in summer....grow tall grasses and other spikey subjects....and wonder what members think of them. Heleniums are a bit of a gamble ....slightly invasive I think and not too convinced about the wisdom of growing them. Do I kindly give them away, if invasive, or do I keep them?
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  • SalinoSalino Posts: 1,609

    Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty' is the only one I've grown, although at the Wisley trials some years ago the variety 'Rubinzwerg' caught my eye and I thought it best of the lot.  I'm still waiting to grow that one...

    I didn't find my Helenium's invasive at all... reliably perennial though...

    Veronicastrums I'm not familiar with from growing, only reading about... quite tall plants I think...?

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,407

    I've got a few Moorheim Beauty plants too - so far behaving themselves beautifully, and definitely not a thug.  I love the colours - sort of marmalade/burnt sugar.  Don't give them away Verdun - you'll love them image

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,099

    Brum I just use the 'canes put in with string round 'em' method,or fine branches from prunings and where possible other planting to support them, but I don't grow a lot of tall perennials usually.

    Verd- is is because of your soil conditions that  Heleniums are a bit invasive? Not grown them myself that I can recall but  I think you have very different soil/climate conditions from me.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • dizzylizzydizzylizzy Posts: 91

    Both plants will be perfect in a priarie style border with grasses, sedums rudbeckia, salvias. achillea, cow parsley etc. and ideal in a cottage style border or garden

    I use shrub prunings and garden twine to hold mine up.

    Heleniums aren't invasive, so you will be fine.

     

  • figratfigrat Posts: 1,619
    I've tried Moorheim Beauty a few times, but the slugs just devour it. However, Sahin's Early Flowerer is a lovely, long flowering variety which they totally ignore. It's not invasive, but does clump up, so I divide every year or so, and now have it dotted through my garden, and friends have been grateful recipients of divisions too.



    It is one of those plants that benefit from the Chelsea chop, giving them stockier growth ( helpful if in a windy position) and frequent deadheading to prolong the flowering season.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,034

    Staking is the thing that gives me the most problem in gardening. Whatever I seem to do the stakes are allways to prominent and some plants end up being trussed up like a joint of meat.

    Luckily Veronicastrum dont need staking, although I do find my taller heleniums do.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
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