Plants for Fall Color: Sneezeweed

Despite its name, sneezeweed will not make you sneeze. It might make you smile, though, when it begins to bloom in the late summer and on into the fall as your other perennials begin to fade.

Sneezeweed (Helenium) is a perennial hardy in Zones 3-9. These plants like moist, even wet, conditions; and they could care less whether or not the soil drains well. (I do have mine planted with other fall-bloomers that are not as fond of water; however, I just water my sneezeweed more frequently than the other plants in the bed. I have not had any problems in five years.) They are similar to daylilies [see my Plant Profile on the Daylily] in that they like their "heads in the sun and feet in the shade." This means that you should plant your sneezeweed in a sunny spot and mulch well. If the soil becomes too warm, the plants will flop. You can also discourage your sneezeweeds from flopping by pinching them back some in the summer when the plants are about 6-8 inches tall. (This will also encourage bushier growth and better blooming.)

Common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) produces bright-yellow daisy-like blooms with dark centers. (Sneezeweed might remind you of some kind of weird cross between a rudbeckia and a coneflower.) There are other varieties, though, in different colors, which you might want to include in your landscape.

Varieties of sneezeweed:
'Bruno': bronze-red flowers
'Butterpat': butter-yellow blooms
'Moerheim Beauty': rusty orange-red flowers (I happen to have this particular hybrid, and it is a much prettier color than the description might indicate. The blooms start out as a yellowish-orange and then darken as they mature. They eventually turn a solid dark brown, which is actually quite pretty. They look great in a fall floral arrangement.)
'Rubrum': mahogany-brown blooms
'Wyndley': coppery-brown flowers
'Brilliant: deep rusty-scarlet blooms
'Sunball': yellow blooms with green centers

Sneezeweeds can grow to be 3-5-feet-tall. Their blooms usually last 8-10 weeks. Plant them with other fall-blooming flowers [see my article on Creating a Fall Garden], such as chrysanthemums and goldenrods. They look good in the middle of the bed or in a swath on one side. Cut your sneezeweed back hard after all of the blooms are spent. Divide about every 4 years in the spring to encourage profuse blooming. Sneezeweed is generally a rather care-free plant and easy to grow.

As you start planting your fall garden, look for sneezeweed. It has a rather unfortunate name, but it will add some great long-lasting color to your garden.

References:
Hodgson, Larry. Perennials for Every Purpose. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Organic Living Books, 2000.

Roth, Susan. New Complete Guide to Gardening. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Books, 1997.

Scarlett, Kay, pub. The Complete Garden Flower Book. London, England: Murdoch Books UK Ltd., 2001.