Forged in Fire False Sunflower - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Forged in Fire is a mid-sized false sunflower with a dark, dense habit and semi-double golden flowers marked by a big burnt-orange eye. The eye starts dark burgundy when the flower opens and lightens as it ages, so the plant shows shifting warm tones all at once.

The extra petals help each flower last longer while leaving the center open for pollinators. Its glossy dark green foliage holds up well against powdery mildew, and it grows about three feet tall and wide.

What it looks like

Semi-double daisy flowers about 3 inches across with golden yellow outer petals and a wide inner zone of dark burgundy to burnt orange around a brown center; the eye is darkest on newly opened flowers and fades toward orange with age. Flowers sit on sturdy branched stems above the leaves. Foliage is glossy, dark green, triangular and toothed. The plant is a dense, upright, bushy clump 32 to 36 inches tall and wide. At peak bloom it is crowned with gold flowers showing fiery orange-red centers.

Growing it with lavender

Its gold and burnt-orange flowers make a bold contrast behind purple lavender, and it enjoys the same full sun and good drainage.

Care

Grow in full sun to light part shade in average, well-drained soil; established plants tolerate dry spells. Hardy in zones 3 to 9. Deadhead spent flowers to extend bloom and cut the plant back after frost.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Heliopsis helianthoides
• Flower color: Golden yellow with a burgundy-to-orange eye
• Foliage: Glossy dark green
• Growth habit: Dense, upright, bushy clump
• Mature size: 32–36 in tall × 32–36 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
• Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
• Bloom start: Early-July
• Peak bloom: Late-July
• Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
• Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
• Pollinator value: Great

Sizes and shipping

One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.