EVERLASTING-FLOWER
Family COMPOSITAE
Helichrysum bracteatum
Annual
A half-hardy annual that is native to Australia.
Reaching a height of two to three feet, the plant
has oblong and pointed leaves.
It has flowers with many petals clustered and
often incurving towards a central disc.
They are known as Everlasting flowers, Straw-flowers
and Immortelles.
If the stems are cut when the flowers are just
fully opened, and hung with the heads downwards
to dry, they will retain their colour and form
for a long period.
There is a large-flowered form in var. monstrosum.
The garden forms vary in colour from white to
pink, purple, red and yellow.
The seed is best sown under cloches in the open
ground in March or, without protection, in April,
and the seedlings thinned to appropriate distances.
Helichrysum is probably more to be valued for
its lasting qualities than as a garden plant.
Propagation is from seed.
The flowering season is from July onwards.
See Also : Helichrysum |
