Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Rays for Days False Sunflower: Golden Doubles for Purple Beds
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Rays for Days false sunflower is a Heliopsis with a lot of flowers and not much attitude. The golden yellow blooms are fully double, about 3 inches across and layered with short, overlapping petals, so they look more like zinnias than sunflowers. The plant is dense and rounded, and at peak it is nearly covered in gold.
It comes from a native prairie species, so heat and dry spells do not bother it much. It just keeps blooming.
Rays for Days at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Heliopsis helianthoides 'Rays for Days' |
| Flowers | Fully double, golden yellow, about 3 inches |
| Foliage | Glossy deep green, toothed |
| Size | 24 to 26 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide |
| Bloom | Six to eight weeks from early July, peaking late July |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to light part shade |
| Cut flower | Excellent |
The purple-and-gold combination
Yellow and purple sit opposite each other on the color wheel, which is why the pairing never looks dull. Rays for Days opens in early July, just as English lavender hits its stride, and keeps going for weeks after the lavender has been sheared. Plant it beside the lavender or just behind it; at about two feet tall, its golden mounds will not hide the purple spikes.
It also shares lavender's tolerance for heat and dry spells once established. Give both plants enough space for air to move, since crowded, still-air spots are where mildew shows up. The Companion Plant Planner makes the spacing easy to work out.
Planting and care
- Site: full sun to light part shade in average, well-drained soil.
- Water: regularly the first season, then only in long dry spells.
- Stems: strong and upright, so it rarely needs staking.
- Deadheading: remove spent flowers, or simply cut them for the house, to keep new ones coming.
- Disease: it was selected for powdery mildew resistance; rust or leaf spots are occasional.
- Winter: very hardy in Michigan. Cut it back in late fall, or leave the seed heads for birds and cut back in spring.
A cutting garden workhorse
Rays for Days rates excellent as a cut flower. The tall, sturdy stems hold up in a vase, and the golden doubles look wonderful with fresh lavender, white yarrow or a few grasses. Cut in the morning when the flowers are just open. Plan a whole cutting bed in the Cut Flower Planner.
Tray or bare root
It is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray for growers and larger plantings, and as a dormant bare root plant for direct planting. See each product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a true sunflower?
No. False sunflower is a different perennial that returns every year from the same clump, unlike the annual sunflower.
Will it flop over?
It is dense and heavily branched with stiff stems, so it stands up well in full sun. Rich soil and shade can make any plant lean, so keep it lean and sunny.
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