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Listen to Paul Parent and David Wilson as they discuss Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ on the April 9, 2006 The Paul Parent Garden Club radio show [2:27 minutes]
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Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’, with its parade of vibrant, multi-colored blooms, brings six to eight weeks of lively color to the garden in summer. The 3' tall plants are a festival of patterns and colors. Velvety amber, paprika, mahogany, gold, and yellow all appear on the massed, 2" diameter flowers, displayed atop sturdy stems. Like the carnival for which it is so aptly named, Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ conveys a sense of gaiety that is certain to “dress up” even the dullest border.
Hardy to Zone 4 and not troubled by any serious pest or diseases, Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’ is easy to grow in any sunny location. It thrives well in most soils; however, for best results, amend the soil at planting time with extra organic material, mulch afterwards, and water during dry spells.
Flowering will be prolonged by pinching back spent blooms. This prevents unnecessary seed production and promotes new flowering shoots that will extend the dazzling display well into late summer.
Older clumps of heleniums that have been growing in the same position for several years sometimes begin to lose vigor. After a few years, it is worth thinking about lifting and dividing the clumps. Splitting and replanting them maintains vigor, keeps them productive, and will repay the small effort with lots of strong, healthy growth and an abundance of flowers.
Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’, with its bushy, basal growth, upright stems, and rounded flowering top, is perfectly proportioned for placing towards the middle or rear of perennial or mixed beds and borders. On its own, a single plant makes a tremendous impact, but it is even more effective when massed in bold, dramatic groupings. It is equally at home in old-fashioned, cottage gardens and contemporary layouts. Because it is a hybrid, derived from a native species, it is a dependable, no fuss plant for wildflower meadows and natural style plantings, too. Butterflies will flock to the countless blooms, making the whole display come alive with continuous movement and stunning color!
Quick to establish and remarkably tolerant of wind and rain, it is ideal for new gardens and is a wonderful way to swiftly give an established look to recently planted areas. Since the sturdy stemmed sprays last well in water, they are marvelous for bringing indoors for cut flower arrangements as well.
Introduced by Blooms of Bressingham™, this new selection began life in Worcester, England. Bob Brown, noted nurseryman and owner of Cotswold Garden Plants, happened to spot it in 1996, growing in a row of seedlings from a commercial seed company. Bob runs a mail-order nursery in the English Midlands and travels extensively throughout the British Isles and beyond, visiting gardens and small specialty nurseries looking for unusual, hardy, herbaceous perennials and smaller shrubs that deserve to be more widely cultivated and appreciated.
Bob noticed that this seedling was flowering in June (much earlier than most Heleniums). When it was still flowering in November — looking ever so floriferous, vigorous, bushy, and compact — Bob knew he was on to something quite special. Looking closely at the unusual floral colors and changing patterns, he decided that it deserved to be put into production.
Cuttings were rooted and, after a period of testing and evaluation, some plants were sent to Blooms of Bressingham's facilities at Diss, in Norfolk, for assessment, including comparing it to existing varieties. Results revealed that it was indeed a plant with considerable potential. Distinctive, different, and worthy of commerce, it was named ‘Mardi Gras’ and introduced to American gardeners in 2004.
Despite its short history, it has rapidly gained justifiable recognition, scoring well in trials from places as far apart as Georgia to Minnesota. In fact, at the University of Minnesota, it was selected as one of their “TOUGH & TERRIFIC”™ perennials, a listing of varieties with superior performance and proven winter hardiness.
In our nursery and garden center trials, we have been impressed with the bushy basal growth, larger leaves, and sturdy stems, not to mention the size and quantity of the flowers and the long duration of flowering. We particularly like the way the flowers change and take on different colors and patterns as they develop and mature.
Knowing that heleniums are dependable, easy to grow, native perennials with tremendous value and no fuss, we heartily recommend that you come over to our garden center soon and see how you can create a festival of eye-popping color in your summer garden with Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’.
Until next time, remember.... Enjoy your gardening. It's good for you!
