Heliopsis 'Burning Hearts'

Heliopsis 'Burning Hearts': Golden Daisies Over Smoky Purple Leaves

'Burning Hearts' brings moody leaves and sunny flowers, like a goth who secretly loves karaoke. Dark purple foliage, golden daisies with red-orange centres, all summer long. EMO ON THE BOTTOM. PARTY ON TOP.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra 'Burning Hearts'
• Common Name: False Sunflower, Oxeye Sunflower
• Height: 90–120 cm (3–4 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Golden yellow, sunflower-like daisies with red-orange centres
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Dark purple leaves on dark purple stems
• Features: Long bloom season, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Plant it in the middle or back of a sunny border, in a pollinator garden or in a prairie-style planting. The dark foliage is a great backdrop for brighter flowers. It copes with clay and poorer soils, which is handy in a lot of Ontario and Quebec yards.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Burning Hearts' in a sunny or lightly shaded bed where its dark leaves and gold-red daisies sit beside pink and cranberry. Paeonia 'Krinkled White' opens single white peonies at 75 cm in May and June. Hemerocallis 'Pardon Me' adds cranberry-red daylilies at 45 cm from July to September. Aster 'Wood's Pink' brings clear pink asters at 30 to 40 cm from August to October. Sesleria heufleriana edges the front with blue-green tufts at 45 to 60 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun for the strongest stems and best colour. It tolerates part sun, but too much shade makes the stems weak and floppy. Average, well-drained soil is ideal. Rich soil and extra fertilizer also lead to flopping. Water well through the first season. Removing spent flowers keeps the show going longer. Toward fall, you can let the last flowers go to seed for the birds. Cut the stems down in late fall, or leave them over winter and cut them in early spring. Divide the clump in spring every three or four years to keep it vigorous.

History: The species is native across much of eastern and central North America, from the Prairies east to the Atlantic and south to Georgia and New Mexico, and helianthoides means sunflower-like. 'Burning Hearts' is a seed-raised selection of the rough-leaved form, var. scabra, chosen for its dark foliage and red-orange centres.

Final Thoughts: Plant it where the sun hits that dark foliage just right. Cut a few for the table and break somebody's heart. IN A GOOD WAY.