Sneezeweed 'Indianersommer' - 10 pieces

Sneezeweed is a typical late summer perennial, and 'Indianersommer' shows it at its best. The petals glow orange-red and shade into a warm copper towards the centre. The brown, domed central cone makes a lovely contrast. The flowers appear in great numbers on branched stems.

At about 100–120 cm tall, it belongs in the middle or at the back of sunny borders. It needs full sun and moist, fertile soil. It looks wonderful with ornamental grasses, yellow yarrow, asters and coneflowers, which underline the autumnal mood. It also suits meadow plants in a natural garden.

Bees, bumblebees and butterflies visit the flowers throughout late summer. In the vase the stems last well and bring warm colours indoors. The perennial is long-lived and hardy. Divide it every few years to keep it vigorous and free-flowering. If you cut the stems back by about a third at the end of May, you get more compact, sturdier plants that flower a little later but all the more freely. Then they hardly need support even in windy spots.

Plant in spring from March to May or in autumn in September and October. Choose a sunny spot with moist, fertile soil. Dig a planting hole twice the size of the root ball, just cover the root collar and space plants 35–50 cm apart. Water in well.

Water thoroughly in dry summer weeks. A little compost in spring supports flowering. If you cut the stems back by a third at the end of May, the plant becomes more compact and sturdier. Remove faded flowers regularly and divide the clumps every three to four years.