Some gardens where you can see Heleniums growing.

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In compiling this list I have asked fellow Helenium enthusiasts for their help. One reply, commenting on a UK midlands National Trust Garden, said . . . "Very fashionable Borders in Blue, Pink and Mauve. DULL." At another National Trust garden, I offered the head gardener some heleniums to brighten up his borders. He replied "As long as they are not those brassy yellows." He may have remained faithful to the gardening dictats of some long departed owner but just think of the fun he's missed!

What on earth is wrong with brassy yellows? Or bright scarlet? Or rich crimson? Plants are living, vibrant organisms - let's use them to good effect and inject a bit of life and robust colour into some of these terribly contrived, dreary and lifeless planting schemes. Pastel colours might look acceptable in a funeral parlour . . . but in a living garden? Nature has no problem with pink ragged robin growing with golden yellow buttercups. Strong colours together can work wonderfully. Just look at this wonderful planting at Great Dixter, Sussex UK in which heleniums are a component.

Summer heat at Great Dixter garden which uses Heleniums, Dahlias, Rudbeckia, Helianthus, Achillea.

This page lists some of the few gardens which seem to use Helenium's to good effect. They may also use other strongly coloured plants - Rudbeckias, Dahlias, Solidago, Coreopsis, Hemerocallis, Salvias, Crocosmias, Asters, Echinacea, Canna and others. Perennials which can help lift us from the pastel shades of garden gloom.

My own garden experiments use heleniums in naturalistic situations and a few of these are shown on the "in context" page. The genus works particularly well with the larger later flowering grasses and combines effectively the bright colours of rudbeckias, helianthus, heliopsis and solidago.

I'd love to know of other gardens which use the genus. If you who have visited gardens which are open to the public and which make good use of Heleniums then please tell me. It may be where they are used and grown well as part of a mixed border, or perhaps used in an interesting and unusual way. Information from other countries is especially welcome.

Gardens in Germany

Sichtungsgarten Weihenstephan Am Staudengarten 7, 85350 Freising
Phone: +49(0)8161-713371. More info Weihenstephan is the 7 hectare trial grounds for the national laboratory for horticulture. Plant combinations are shown. 470 m over the sea level and is subject to subcontinental climatic influences. Rainfall 800 mm. High sunshine levels and large variations in temperature between day and night. Growing Heleniums as part of a large trial.
Opening times: April to October. Monday to Friday 8.00 - 18.00hrs. Saturday & Sunday 9.00 - 18.00hrs

Schau- und Sichtungsgarten Hermanshof Babostraße 5, 69469 Weinheim
Phone +49(0)6201-13652. Includes recently created prairie garden and has large blocks of heleniums planted. Website
Open March and October 10.00 - 18.00hrs. April to September 10.00hrs - 19.00hrs.

Peter and Bärbel zur Linden The zur Lindens have a delightful nursery about 40km to the east of Osnabruck in N Germany and a display area of many Phlox and Helenium. These alone are worth a visit. Not only that, the zur Lindens are at the forefront of helenium selection and H Rubinzwerg is one of their introductions and a very popular cultivar. Linner Kirchweg 2, 49143 Bissendorf 1- Linne telephone 0049 5402 5618 Website

You can see some excellent photographs of many heleniums by Hartmut Rieger including varieties introduced by the zur Lindens, Karl Foerster and Hartmut Rieger himself at helenium.info


Peter and Bärbel zur Linden on their nursery in August 2007. Photo by Henk Jacobs.


Freundschaftsinsel in Potsdam: this was the first trial garden in Germany using the ideas of Karl Foerster. There is a collection of plants selected by this famous German nurseryman. With all his Heleniums that are still found in nurseries and gardens. Contact: 0049-331 29 40 20

Lehr- und Versuchsgärten Landschaftarchitektur, Schelmenwasen 6, D-72622 Nürtingen
Phone +49(0)7022-404188. More info

Westpark München Eduard-Schmid-Str. 36, 81541 München

Gardens in the Netherlands

Kwekerij Jacobs 5e Dalweg 4, 9699 TS Vriescheloo, 0597-541543. One hectare garden of mixed herbaceous plantings in N Holland near Groningen with the Netherlands National Collection of Heleniums. More info



Tuinen Mien Ruys Moerheimstraat 78 7701 CG Dedemsvaart (30 km north-east of Zwolle) the Netherlands tel. 0523-614774 Show gardens using a lot of perennials (including Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty' of course, which was selected by Mrs Ruys) More info



Herbaceous border with heleniums at Mien Ruys in late August 2007. Picture Henk Jacobs

Helenium collection at Mien Ruys in late August 2004


Kwekerij Oudolf Broekstraat 17 6999 DE Hummelo (30 km north-east of Arnhem) tel 0314-381199 nursery and garden designer with a unique naturalistic style, who uses perennials a lot in his show garden

Kwekerij Kabbes Jelke Sjoerdslaan 4 9262 SL Suameer (also spelt "Sumar")(17 km east of Leeuwarden) tel 0512-372521 Perennial nursery, which has its own Helenium selections

In the Boskoop region: Praktijkonderzoek Plant en Omgeving Rijneveld 153 (PO box 188) 2770 AC Boskoop tel 0172-236700 2 hectares of woody and herbaceous plants, each with a name sign, including many perennials and some Helenium. Open every day from dawn to sunset, admission free.

In Boskoop, and you want to buy Heleniums? Try the Esveld Nursery, Rijneveld 72 (famous for its Aceretum, but also sells a huge collection of perennials).

Gardens in United Kingdom

Abraxas Gardens, Frome, Somerset 7, Little Keyford Lane, Frome, Garden packed with plants including many Heleniums. 01373 472879 More info
Angelsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire 6 miles NE of Cambridge
Arley Hall - A very large and splendid Herbaceous Garden with some of the oldest and finest borders in the country. It is designed for the longest possible season of interest and two H. are used very effectively - Bruno and Chipperfield Orange - repeated along the borders. 01565 777353
Barrington Court, Somerset NE of Illminster. In mixed herbacous borders
Bressingham Gardens, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk Mixed plantings with other perennials. 01379 686900
Great Dixter, Sussex Mixed plantings in the long border with other perennials. 01797 253107
Harlow Carr - RHS Garden near Harrogate. In mixed plantings with other mid-late summer herbaceous plants.
Hever Castle (Kent) 01732 865224 More info
Holbrook Garden @Sampford Shrubs, Devon 1 m NW of J27, M5 motorway, large Helenium collection -some of collection displayed in a garden context. Open 3 days a week April to October. More info


Part of the National Helenium collection at Holbrook Garden as it was in August 2006


Ness Botanic Gardens, South Wirral, CH64 4AY large border with lots of Heleniums.
Rosemoor, Torrington, Devon 1 m SE of Torrington on A3124. Particularly in the new plantings in the square garden (since 2008) using stock from the National Collection including Helenium Sahin's Early Flowerer, and Helenium 'Waldtraut. 01805 624067
Shaw's Corner (National Trust, Ayot St Lawrence, Herts 01438 820307) has several dramatic clumps.
Stockton Bury Gardens - Several mixed and Herbaceous borders. Several have H. 'Sahin's Early Flowerer', used to especially good effect. 2 miles N of Leominster. See National Gardens Scheme Yellow book for details.
Wisley - RHS Wisley, Surrey. Single varieties as part of traditional plantings in the Long Herbaceous borders. H Rubinzwerg in new plantings around millenium glasshouse and H The Bishop and H 'Riverton Beauty' used in the Oudolf borders.

If you know of any gardens that should be added to this in UK, Europe, the US or elsewhere, then please use the "contact us" link on the left.