Heliopsis 'Summer Eclipse'

Heliopsis 'Summer Eclipse': Burnt Orange Sunshine on Dark Foliage

'Summer Eclipse' is what happens when the sun shows up in a darker outfit. Burnt orange flowers tipped in yellow, on burgundy stems with wine-tinted leaves. DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT IT. ACTUALLY, DO.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Heliopsis helianthoides 'Summer Eclipse'
• Common Name: False Sunflower
• Height: 60–75 cm (24–30 in)
• Spread: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Flowers: Semi-double, burnt orange with yellow tips around an orange centre
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Deep green with a burgundy tint, on burgundy stems

Where to Plant: Its shorter, upright habit fits the middle of the border, where taller false sunflowers would block the view. It works in pollinator gardens, cottage plantings, mass plantings and cutting beds.

Companion Plants: Give 'Summer Eclipse' a sunny or part-shade bed with coral peonies, blue cranesbill and more gold. Paeonia 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' opens coral-pink peonies at 90 cm in May and June. Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' adds lavender-blue cranesbill at 30 to 60 cm in June and July. Rudbeckia 'American Gold Rush' brings golden daisies at 56 to 66 cm from July to October. Festuca Beyond Blue™ edges the bed with intense blue tufts at 23 to 30 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in average, well-drained soil. It tolerates average, dry or moist conditions once settled, but water it regularly through the first season. Full sun gives the strongest stems and best colour. Deadheading keeps the flowers coming. Cut the stems back in late fall, or leave them for the birds and winter interest and cut them in early spring. Divide every three to four years in spring if the clump gets crowded or blooms less.

History: False sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides, grows wild from Saskatchewan east to Newfoundland and south to Georgia and New Mexico, including southern Ontario. 'Summer Eclipse' is a garden selection of this native species and was evaluated in the Penn State flower trials in 2021.

Final Thoughts: Plant it where the afternoon sun can light it up. The deer pass, the bees don't. TOTALITY, EVERY DAY OF SUMMER.