Punto Rosso False Sunflower

Punto Rosso holds golden-yellow daisies on dark burgundy stems, and the contrast is what sets this selection apart from the wild form. This selection of the native Heliopsis helianthoides grows 18 to 24 inches tall and 16 to 20 inches wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 4 through Zone 8. Bloom runs through summer, longer than most native daisies, and deadheading extends it. Bees and butterflies come to the flowers, and goldfinches take the seed if you leave the last heads standing. The compact size is useful, since the species can reach five feet and flop. This one holds at about two feet and stays upright without staking. False sunflower takes drought, clay, poor soil, and heat once established, and it grows in a wider range of conditions than most prairie perennials. Full sun gives the sturdiest stems. Deer leave it alone.