Great pictures/info, wieslaw. Helenium is one of my favourite perennials. I've grown numbers of Helenium cultivars. I find Helenium is relatively high maintenance, especially for the need to break up and replanted plants (in upgraded soil), every few years. If not, the plants get shorter and, over several years, peter away. Have had Helenium autumnale and various cultivars of the species like 'Rotgold' (Red and Gold) around for 10 to 15 years. Have also had a very robust, very tall and very yellow one (I assume it is 'Sonnenwunder'), 'Rubinszwerg' and 'The Bishop' for years. We've had 'Flammenspiel', 'Mardi Gras' and 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' for 4 or 5 years. I do like 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' for it's big blooms and long bloom time (and I don't mind staking). Most recent acquisition is 'Red Jewel'. Had it two years. Very attractive and seems quite robust. Believe heleniums have done well for me, in several gardens, because there's been sun, enriched soil, watering as required, staking if required and attention to division (pulling the plants apart) and replanting (as said).

I have all 3 of these and they are not at all similar. Helianthus 'lemon queen' gets huge, blooms for a month or 2, and has pretty light yellow flowers. Also spreads like crazy by rhizomes. Helenium mardi gras has a marble of color, but predominantly orange in the blooms, and has the prominent helenium cone in the middle. These are both beautiful plants, but this year they aborted most of their blooms in the drought (we had watering restrictions, and my gardens are just too large to water everything well). Heliopsis summer sun is blooming machine! Very long bloom season and cheery medium yellow semi-double blooms. Although it did get a bit more water than the other two because of where it's growing, Heliopsis helianthoides is much more drought tolerant than Helenium autumnale, which is more of a wetland species.

No luck yet, Steve, but I have four "batches" in the ovenso to speak! I definitely havent given up on the winter sown ones yetI had some candylily seeds finally germinate a couple weeks ago that apparently had just been waiting to warm up a little! And I have another batch in a baggie that I soaked for a couple days first. And I have another batch just in a baggie that werent soaked first. Both of those are with the few things I still have on the heating pad to keep them nice and toasty. And then I have another batch in the fridge that Im stratifying to try it that way. Ill probably leave them in there for a couple more weeks before I bring them out to warm them up. Lets see! Did I say before that I REALLY want some of these things!!! If all else failshow far are you from the SLC airport! If I ever get back to work, Ill wind up with a layover there sooner or later! In the meantime, Im gonna just keep trying with the seed you sent! Interestingly, when you mentioned the T & M germination database, I looked them up on the Tom Clothier one, and this is what his says: Lavatera cachemiriana, and thuringiaca , Sow at Max. 5ºC (41ºF), germination irregular, often several months . Since L. tauricensis isnt listed, I used the thuringiaca, assuming its the closest thing. Interesting how much difference there is in the recommendations! Based on my experience so far, Im inclined to think the "germination irregular" might be the most accuratewhich definitely means I wont give up on the winter sown ones! And, remember, same thing for the Callirhoe! At Paulinos it wasnt at all unusual to have seedlings coming up around the one planted in the display garden (the same as you have seedlings coming up around your Lavatera), but when one of the growers tried to grow them from seed we collected, the germination was VERY poor, and VERY irregular. Dont give up on that one for sure! I dont have any of the blue-eyed grass seed, but I did have some old yellow-eyed grass seed, Sisyrinchium californicum (I think) that I collected several years back that finally germinated a couple weeks ago. So dont give up the ship yet on your Sisyrinchium either. I have to have some of the Lavatera germinate sometime, cause I gave away the big white hydrangea in my front yard that I posted pictures of last year, and thats where Im planning to plant iteventually! Itll happen! Skybird

Jay, both Coreopsis populations had the same narrow leaflets. I did get DNA results on a Eupatorium hybrid last season from the country's expert on that genus. He clearly identified the two parents, and also noted that there were no previous records of that hybrid. Since the plants were fertile and reproducing over a large area in two Arkansas counties, that one will probably be awarded species status and named after me once the necessary documentation is completed. Last season, I also collected leaves from several Helenium specimens that appeared to be H. virginicum. Those should be submitted for DNA tests this year. DNA analysis can easily determine ID for Helenium species, since results already exist for all of the species in that genus. If H. virginicum is confirmed, that will be pretty exciting as H. virginicum is very rare, even within its known range (see BONAP distribution map here).