PlantFiles: False Sunflower, Rough Heliopsis, Orange Sunflower, Ox-Eye
Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra

These plants grow and flower very well in part shade and also in bright full shade. They are impervious to Juglone and will flower nicely all summer. This is a wonderful bright bloom for a shade garden.

This is one of the few perennials to flower the first year from winter sown seed! It will get larger and taller the next year or two, so give it room.

Mine is at the front of a bed because I grew it from mislabeled seed for a much shorter plant (in fact, the first year I sent out seed from it without knowing its name, so I called it "Not Chocolate Daisy" or "Too Tall to be Chocolate Daisy" and then described it).

It is a blooming machine from June until frost, with flowers that are a little more lemon-yellow (not so gold) than the black-eyed susans it reminds me of.

This is one of those members of the daisy group that, along with members of the carrot group, like fennel, play host to tiny predatious hover flies and wasps that rein in activities of various caterpillar species. A border that includes these plants naturalized somewhere in the vicinity of an organic vegetable garden can contribute to the complexity of life that nurtures balance between "bad guys" (prey) and "good guys" (predators) (purely from human point of view).

It's a very easy perennial and it even flowers good in the half shade.

This is another one of those plants that gives you a lot of bang for your money. It just goes & goes ... like the energizer bunny. Plants are well behaved, it stays in a neat clump, and the stems are sturdy. The bright yellow daisies are a real eye-catcher in the garden. It just seems to ALWAYS look good. My only problem has been a population of red aphids that seem to find it irresistable. However, they don't pose much of a threat and they are easily taken care of.

This species of Heliopsis (depending on cultivar)will grow to about 3' to 5' tall and 2' to 3' in width. Flowers are yellow and have single, semi double or double flowers and bloom in late summer. 'Light of Loddon' have double flowers. Best cultivated in sun, rich, well drained soil but will tolerate poor conditions. Deadhead to promote more flowering, cut back to ground in fall. Propagate from seed, division, or cuttings. Hardy zones 4-9.