Helenium 'Short 'n' Sassy'

Helenium 'Short 'n' Sassy': Sneezeweed Cut Short, Blooming Early

The name is 'Short 'n' Sassy' and it is not lying about either one. Orange and gold daisies around dark domed centres, compact enough to stand without a stake. SHORT? YES. SHY? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Helenium autumnale 'Short 'n' Sassy'
• Common Name: Sneezeweed, Helen's Flower
• Height: 40–55 cm (16–22 in)
• Spread: 55–60 cm (22–24 in)
• Flowers: Daisy-like, with orange to golden-yellow petals around a dark brown, domed centre
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Deep green, narrow leaves on a bushy, upright clump
• Features: Compact with no staking needed, good for cutting
• Plant Patent: USPP 24,460

Where to Plant: Put it at the front or middle of a sunny border, in containers, or in small gardens where tall heleniums would be too much. It handles clay soil as long as it doesn't dry out completely.

Companion Plants: Orange sneezeweed sits well beside Agastache 'Blue Fortune', whose blue spikes run from July to September. Symphyotrichum ericoides adds small white daisies from August to October, on plants 30 to 90 cm tall. Use Nepeta 'Chartreuse on the Loose' as a low front edge with blue flowers from June to September. This is a sunny, late-season mix that keeps going well into fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to rich soil that stays evenly moist. Sneezeweed doesn't like to dry out, so water during dry spells, especially in the first year. Good air flow helps prevent leaf diseases. Deadhead to keep the display tidy and extend bloom. Cut stems back in late fall or early spring. Divide every three years or so in spring to keep the clump vigorous.

History: 'Short 'n' Sassy' was discovered in 2009 by Gina M. Falcetti-Arnold as a natural whole-plant mutation in a garden in Mount Vernon, Washington. It is shorter than typical sneezeweeds and blooms two to three weeks earlier.

Final Thoughts: Plant it at the front where it can heckle the taller plants. The deer stay away and the butterflies keep coming. THE SASS IS FREE.