Huh. Don't get that problem. I have grown this plant for 10 years in a variety of situations and found it to be relatively bulletproof. I think it likes some moisture but not too much, which can make it less likely to stand upright. Full sun is good, adequate moisture and soil are good. For me it has always been a robust grower and a spreader too, covering a fair amount of real estate after a few years in the ground.

????

I've seen your pictures and was probably inspired to get this plant because of how beautiful yours are. I'm a miserable failure at growing this. Maybe it needs more circulation as it's a bit crowded with other tall plants. Do you divide yours?

Hi Jennifer, so sorry your Helianthus 'Lemon queen; isn't doing so well. I planted one in Spring of 06, full sun, sandy loam, well-drained, and it was quite vigorous. This Spring I wanted to move it because it was too tall for the location and the rootball was HUGE for the 2nd year. I got six divisions, I gave away 2 and planted 4 in kind of a hedge in the back corner of the garden in partial sun with annuals in front.

I've found they grow well in full or half sun, except they are somewhat smaller in less sun. They are rather drought-tolerant in my garden, but did wilt some this summer due to the drought.

Lemon queen grows well, but the Veronicastrum won't grow for me just a few feet away. Go figure.

It stopped blooming a couple weeks ago, but here's what it looked like this summer. That's probably about 2 1/2 plants worth in the picture and they are about 4-5 feet tall. I think this plant is a real beauty:

{{gwi:277290}}

Oh, that's what it's supposed to look like! Gorgeous. I'm definitely going to divide mine next spring and put the divisions in a different spot. Tell me, do the leaves on your plants still look nice, or have they turned brown like mine? Thank you!

Terrene -- hi! How hard was that root ball to divide? I usually just whack root balls up, but I believe you do it more gently. What's your technique? I hope to divide and share my helianthus 'Santa Fe' next Spring. It just started blooming Oct 1. 8' and more in height. I didn't water it once this summer and it's fabulous!
Thanks,
ML

Jennifer - the flowers are done and the leaves are mostly green with a little PM and some brown tips. They look okay considering our extremely dry weather. All the plants are stressed - I've tried to keep watering to a minimum and only really water stuff that is either establishing roots or flowering. I think these Lemon Queen can take it though.

Mayalena, hi there! Your Helianthus sounds gorgeous! How about some pics? :) Maybe we can trade at the Spring swap as these babies should definitely be divided in the spring!

As for the rootball, aside from being large and kind of unwieldly, it wasn't too bad to handle and pretty easy to break up. I use a shovel to dig up, and then a spade to divide. They are not anywhere near as bad as large mature Ornamental grasses, which are quite the challenge to divide.

Never had brown leaves on mine either. They don't seem to need a lot of water. Try to avoid getting the leaves wet when you water or give them better air circulation. I second the full sun - they're a sunflower. I had to move mine last year for that reason. They need staking or they will topple - but that can be solved by cutting them back in summer to get shorter plants. It's not a perfect plant for that reason, but it's always a reliable bloomer. The rootball was a little tough to get out for me as it had been there a while. I noticed this year I must have missed all the roots as it's started a new plant not far away from the original. I moved a section behind my oriental lilies so when they poop out, the Lemon Queen takes over. Worked out really well. Keep trying - it's a great plant if you can find the right place for it.

This is a plant which spreads fairly readily by underground rhizomes. It doesn't really have a "root ball" per se. In my experience it is very easy to dig up a whole clump or to just dig out pieces around the edges if you want to spread it. The roots/rhizomes spread mostly out rather than down.

I wonder if this is an air circulation issue. Does it look like powdery mildew? This was a fairly bad summer for it here.

Lemon Queen will stand up better in drier soil that is a little less rich. I have had it stand up well and also flop badly. More sun, less water, less rich soil equals better standing up without staking. I have never staked this plant, BTW, but I tolerate plants leaning or flopping more than most people I suspect.

My clumps in the new garden are now waning but have been blooming since early-mid August. They will usually produce a good 8 weeks of bloom.

Worth keeping trying....

:o)

I've only had Helianthus Lemon Queen for two years, but I haven't had to stake it and no flopping at all. I do pinch all the growing tips in June to make it bushier and more compact.

It is also growing in half-sun and still no flopping (I don't have much full sun, so I push the limits). It doesn't even lean towards the sun - it is growing nice and round and bushy. But it did grow somewhat shorter and perhaps had fewer blooms than when it was in full sun. I can't be sure though, because it still had lots of flowers in partial sun!

Also, mine starts blooming in mid-July and finishes up about mid-September. Yours is still blooming in your garden David. Isn't it strange how the same hybrid grows so differently in different gardens?

im just seeing this. This year my huge 5 yo lemon queens were hideous. Brown and ragged with few flowers. my husband asked if they were dead and wanted to tear them out. they will droop and drop to the ground with rain. Mine are in full sun grow 6-8 feet tall and at least that wide.

any suggestions please?

what kind of soil do you have, is it rather moist or dry,

very heavy and rich?

I grow them for years, very reliable, somewhat draught resistant, they stay upright quite ok, but I think with too much food/ fertilizer they tend to flop

if you clipp off the top third around June/July they should stay more compact