Helenium autumnale
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With golden-yellow petals that droop like skirts around raised, button-like centers, Sneezeweed brings late-season cheer and bold color to the garden. It grows 3–5 feet tall and flowers abundantly from late summer into fall.
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Thrives in full sun and moist, rich soils, especially in rain gardens or near ponds and streams. Tolerates seasonal flooding and benefits from occasional division to maintain vigor.
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Upright and clumping, it adds vertical interest and pairs well with grasses and other fall bloomers. Can be pinched back in early summer for a bushier form and more compact height.
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Native to most of North America, especially in moist meadows, wetlands, and along streams and ditches. A key species in late-summer wetland plant communities.
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Green foliage emerges in spring, followed by sunny blooms from August into October. Seed heads add texture into winter and persist after frost.
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An important late-season nectar source for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Its seeds feed birds in fall, and it supports various native insect larvae.
Sneezeweed