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Late summer brings colours that make me think of autumn. It won’t be long before the leaves start to change colour and display the yellows, oranges and reds of the season. (But the red leaf above is that of a redbud, in its normal summer colour.) The photographs here are a mix of those taken in my own garden and others taken in Fullers Mill Garden, a favourite to visit.
The orange echinacea and the red dahlia are amongst the hotter colours in my own garden. (I usually choose cooler colours, which dominate the rest of the planting here.) The heleniums (which have the entertaining common name of ‘sneezeweed’, because they were used to make snuff) were at Fullers Mill, along with the physalis (Chinese lanterns) and the redbud. I have to admit that the red and orange combination of the helenium is not one that I like. At least it’s not quite as bad as the multicoloured varieties of French marigold. I really dislike the combination of orange and a reddish brown (or is it a brownish red?).
The heleniums that I prefer are those with single-coloured flowers, both the yellow varieties and the red one that you see below. This plant is Helenium autumnale ‘Ranchera’, which I chose for the lovely deep red. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t like very dry soil, preferring consistently moist conditions. I tried to remember to water it, but was only able to keep it going for a couple of years. It eventually disappeared after a summer of struggling through drought. Perhaps if I manage to improve the soil enough (with lots and lots of compost) I’ll try it again.
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Unlike you I do like the red and orange mix in flowers, but I must admit the red helenium is gorgeous. But they last only one season here. Never to be seen again. (actually one helenium made it through two seasons only to be eaten by slugs when it appeared in its 3rd year. I haven’t bothered since)
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It’s interesting to hear that they are short-lived with you too. I thought that the reason I couldn’t keep them going long was because it gets so dry here, but maybe they’re just really fussy? I don’t know that I’ll bother again – other plants are easier!
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I recognize the shape of your Helenium autumnale but certainly not the color, as the wild ones in central Texas are yellow [https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2021/11/01/autumn-sneezeweed]. Is the redbud leaf a Cercis?
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There are pure yellow garden varieties of helenium too – very similar but bred to be more showy. I believe that the leaf is probably that of Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ (it certainly looks like it), which is grown over here for its beautiful deep red/purple leaves. If I had the space, I’d love to plant one in my own garden!
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I’m surprised that your dry conditions didn’t seem to suit your red Helenium. Here, our natives (at least the ones I know) prefer dry conditions and disturbed soils. The red really surprised me, too. The ones I know are yellow, or yellow with a bit of maroon; the red doesn’t seem like it ‘ought’ to be a Helenium. Many of my favorite flowers, like our native lantana, combine red, yellow, and orange quite nicely.
Out of curiosity, is there some reason I’m having to log in every time to comment? It’s not a problem; I just was wondering.
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That’s interesting Linda – looks like the problem must be something else, unless the cultivated varieties are different in their requirements. (You may have noticed the comment from Heyjude – she lives in a higher-rainfall area of the country but still finds they don’t last.) I don’t know why you’re having to log in. I haven’t changed anything, but WordPress sometimes does strange things!
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Flaming orange / red!! Gorgeous , Ann!
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Thank you Indira! It’s a last blast of summer heat! 🙂
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These colors are so vibrant, Ann. I definitely associate them more with autumn than summer but they are beautiful during any season.
Our garden is dominated by yellow sunflowers and pink cosmos right now. We should have colourful autumn foliage, but we don’t really have any special fall flowers. I might need to remedy that next year!
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There are a lot of reds, oranges and yellows in the flower colors here at this time of year. (not so much in my own garden though, as I usually choose cooler colours for here.) The bright colours certainly have a suggestion of the autumn colours that will soon start to appear. 🙂
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