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summerstar_gw

Your experience with Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine

summerstar
14 years ago

I'd like to try Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine and pair it with one of the shorter non-flowering Stachys in a small area near our patio. I thought the grayish lambs ears might pair up nicely with the foliage of Loraine Sunshine.

How has Loraine Sunshine grown for you? And any suggestions for a good short, non-flowering Stachys? The bigger varieties tend to "flop" and reseed too much for the smaller bed I'm working with.

And, is the "Message" box that you type your question into on this forum become really small lately? Maybe it's my browser or something. It wasn't so small in the past. Any info on this?

Comments (34)

  • conniemcghee
    14 years ago

    Ruh roh. I have seeds of this I was going to put out. I may rethink it.

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    14 years ago

    I have never had issues such as those stated above. Actually, I've had the opposite - a beautiful plant free of pests and disease and beloved by the bees and butterflies. It does reseed in my gardens, but not profusely.

    As a matter of fact, I wish it would reseed more.

    I have sown seeds from the original plants and the different seedlings have been quite the treasures. One has leaves with just the outer edge showing the white while others have varying degrees of variegation.

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    14 years ago

    {{gwi:202042}}

  • Nancy
    14 years ago

    I've had the same experience as Tiffy, wish mine would reseed a bit more.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    14 years ago

    It has been a total dud for me. Never had any vigor. I have moved it all over the place trying to find a spot it would thrive in, but no luck. In a full sun position the foliage would burn terribly. In part shade it would get a touch of mildew or lean. But I guess you will never know until you try it- seems some people have great luck with it. ;-)

    As an alternative, how about a variegated phlox? Quite a few kinds out there, 'Harlequin', 'Becky Towe', 'Nora Leigh, etc.
    CMK

  • kimcoco
    14 years ago

    It reseeds? Yeaayyy..^^clapping my hands^^.

    I love this plant, it's one of my favorites.

    Last year I had it in a place where it didn't get enough sun, but the year prior it was full sun and it was beautiful. I moved it back to full sun, but in any location I didn't have any problems described above. We have somewhat clayish soil.

    I'm pairing it with Artemisia Silver Mound this year, and a purple smokebush. I think the foliage is just beautiful.

    Nice pic, Tiffy.

  • brody
    14 years ago

    'Loraine' doesn't do well in my climate and it tended to revert to all green foliage when I grew it. Probably a better bet in VA.

    Stachys lanata 'Silver Carpet' is a non-flowering form of Lamb's Ears that might work for your planting scheme. It's robust and easy to grow but like all Lamb's Ears it can suffer from mildew.

  • north53 Z2b MB
    14 years ago

    My experience with it is similar to Tiffy's. Yes, it reseeds, but the little variegated seedlings are very easy to spot and remove. I find it to be very pretty and much more refined than my plain green heliopsis.

  • ontnative
    14 years ago

    Mine grows in a definite clump with minimal reseeding. Clay soil, somewhat dry. It does need extra water in very dry weather. That is the only negative thing I can say about this plant. It is quite popular with gardeners in my area.

  • hostaholic2 z 4, MN
    14 years ago

    Mine tends to go green by late summer and I have yet to get varigated seedlings. I am quite fond of heliopsis but not this one.

  • echinaceamaniac
    14 years ago

    This is one of the best variegated plants ever. I love this plant. It never reseeds here. I have rooted cuttings of it before though. I think everybody should have at least one of these!

  • kimcoco
    14 years ago

    I forgot to mention, I do get red spider mites on mine every year, I use horticultural oil. That's the only bad thing I can say.

  • recipesaver2
    10 years ago

    I love it. It keeps my garden bright most of the summer.
    Jean

  • david883
    10 years ago

    I have a few of these - love them. I have two seedlings that so far seem to come true from the parent. I have another large heliopsis variety in the same area with the loraine sunshine and there's been some cross polinating - haven't seen them flower yet (I assume they'll look the same but still....) but the leaves look almost like green and white tie-dye. I have no problem with these so far as I can tell

  • steve1young
    10 years ago

    I think it's so very interesting how different people in different garden situtations (climate, zone, soil, water, humidity, degree of day/night temp fluctuations, pervasive insects, etc) can have such incredibly different experiences with the same plant.

  • donna_in_sask
    10 years ago

    It does very well in my garden. Sometimes the seedlings lose a bit of their variegation but I just pull those ones out. I have it paired with monkshood in a partial shady bed and with blue delphiniums in a sunny bed...both do really well, although the shady one can get a bit floppy. This year, I put a tall metal trellis in front of it and it has been better.

  • trovesoftrilliums
    10 years ago

    Ok, I now want this plant.

    I guess I am a collector at heart

  • a2zmom_Z6_NJ
    10 years ago

    That's a very pretty plant. Is it a reseeder? I grow 'Summer Sun' and that is a heavy reseeder.

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    I've killed it twice, tried in 2 different spots.

  • echinaceamaniac
    10 years ago

    You can get a seed variety called 'Sunburst' that is similar. Here's a link. It would be cheaper since 100 seeds are cheaper than 1 plant.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Sunburst Seeds

  • jaym1818
    9 years ago

    wow I would love to try and grow this for my garden those are beautiful, does anyone know where I can buy seeds or does anyone have some to share?

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago

    This plant performs very well in my northern location, always vigorous and carefree and yes, it does seed itself around, so best to deadhead if you don't want scads of seedlings ... though, I tend to let many develop and then transplant the best of them to other locations in my yard .... it's a really great plant if you ask me!

  • davids10 z7a nv.
    9 years ago

    haven't grown the heliopsis but stachys helene von stein is probably the best clump forming non flowering stachys fairly large scale though.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    9 years ago

    It is for sure a striking plant but for me in my zone it invariably became over run with aphids at some point in August. I moved it further back and to a location where I didn't have to look at this insect invasion.

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rouge, I guess we must have different aphid species, as never have seen a single bug on my heliopsis plants despite other nearby perennials and shrubs sometimes being thickly covered in the buggers.

  • Patty W. zone 5a Illinois
    9 years ago

    While other heliopsis have done very well here counted me as having failed with Loraine Sunshine. Enough to make a stubborn gardener try it for a third time.

  • growlove
    9 years ago

    Love Loraine. Never reseeds here. I bought one plant years ago and that's the only one that comes back in Spring. Mary

  • catkinZ8a
    9 years ago

    Planted her last Fall but she's yet to make an appearance.


  • bill14150
    8 years ago

    I tried 'Sunshine' 2 years in a row, and it just stood there, did nothing, wilted and died. Tried it again last year (2014) and it survived the winter and is doing well. I was surprised to find it reseeded itself. Dozens of these little anemic looking sprouts popped up in the surrounding bed and walkway, and when the second leaves developed, I discovered they were varigating just like the parent! I have a 40 year old Heliopsis Scabra that has never reseeded, so was surprised this variation did. I am not unhappy though, as I will pamper a few and transplant them to other locales. I think the dry location that is prescribed is one of the factors in it's survival.

  • growlove
    8 years ago

    Have had mine for several years, but never got seedlings. How fortunate to get seedlings that are exactly like the mother plant.

  • catkinZ8a
    8 years ago

    I planted 3 last year and despite a mild Winter, it has not come back....not holding out much hope at this point!


  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    7 years ago

    UPDATE:

    A new introduction from Darwin Perennials in the same vein a LS


    SUNSTRUCK

  • recipesaver2
    7 years ago

    UPdate

    my LS variegated did not fare as well as the solid green seedlings that came up from the seed. Yes there were ocassionally varigated seedlings but rarely. However my green plants bloom from June to October and have been wonderful!

    Jean

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