Description
Helichrysum bracteatum – ‘Salmon Rose’ Strawflower
Equally good as a fresh flower, these daisy-like papery blooms will last indefinitely once dried retaining their colour and becoming a useful material in the less floriferous months of the year.
They are easy to grow and can be sown successionally for flowers from July to October.
This is my favourite variety of Helichrysum with a good mix of apricots, peaches and corals.
Plant type: half hardy annual
Site: full sun
Height: 90cm
Plant spacing: 30cm
Sown to grown: 16 weeks
Approx seeds per packet: 250 seeds
Growing tips: start seeds indoors in modular trays, do not cover as seeds need light to germinate. Time the sowing approx 6 weeks before last frost. Harden off and plant out after the risk of frost has passed.
Harvesting/Arranging tips: I like to use the flowers fresh when the centres have just opened but have not been pollinated.For drying harvest when the flowers are only partially open and not showing their centres, they will continue to open as they dry. Hang upside down in small bunches in a dark, well ventilated space.
Vase life: if using fresh 7 days
Cost: £2.50
