Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen': Lemon Sherbet Daisies by the Hundred

'Lemon Queen' towers over the border and wants you to know it. Pale lemon-yellow daisies by the hundreds, and the bees are lined up like it's opening day at a new bakery. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN. SHE'S TALLER THAN YOU.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Helianthus hybrid
• Common Name: Perennial Sunflower
• Height: 150–210 cm (5–7 ft)
• Spread: 75–100 cm (2.5–3.5 ft), widening over time
• Flowers: Pale lemon-yellow daisies about 5 cm (2 in) across with darker golden centres, carried in large numbers
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Rough, dark green, lance-shaped leaves on strong, branching stems
• Features: Good for cutting, RHS Award of Garden Merit, rarely sets seed

Where to Plant: Plant it at the back of the border, along a fence, or as a seasonal screen, where it gives the garden height as the season winds down. It is a good fit for prairie-style and pollinator plantings, and for a cut-flower bed.

Companion Plants: Plant Liatris pycnostachya in front of this tall sunflower for purple spikes from July to September. Sedum 'Autumn Fire' brings pink flowers at 45 to 60 cm from August to October, filling the middle layer as the season turns. Leucanthemum 'Brightside' adds white daisies from June to September at the front. All three are happy in full sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. It also handles clay. Water during the first season and in long droughts. Go easy on fertilizer, because rich soil makes it taller and more likely to flop. To keep it shorter and bushier, cut the stems back by a third to a half in late May or early June. It will flower a little later on sturdier stems. Cut back in late fall or early spring. Clumps widen over time. Divide every few years in spring to control size and keep it vigorous.

History: Perennial sunflowers are North American natives, and the genus name comes from the Greek helios (sun) and anthos (flower). 'Lemon Queen' is a hybrid of uncertain parentage, possibly with native parents such as stiff sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke, and it holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Final Thoughts: Put her at the back where she can supervise everybody. Cut a few stems and she won't even notice. BOW DOWN TO THE BACK ROW.