Sundial is a tall, upright false sunflower with gold flowers marked by red eyes, set off by dark olive-green leaves. It blooms from midsummer through late summer, adding late-season color at the back of the border.
Reaching 4 to 4½ feet, it has a deep root system that helps it through hot, dry weather, and it resists powdery mildew and handles cold winters. Butterflies and bees visit steadily.
What it looks like
Single daisy flowers about 3 inches across with golden yellow petals and a distinct reddish zone at the base of each petal forming a red eye around a brown center. Flowers are held on tall, branched stems above the leaves. Foliage is glossy, dark olive-green, triangular and toothed. The plant is an upright, bushy clump 48 to 54 inches tall and about 42 inches wide. At peak bloom a tall screen of red-eyed gold flowers stands over dark foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Sundial's height makes it a strong backdrop for a row of lavender, and it shares lavender's love of hot 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
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Botanical name: Heliopsis helianthoides
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Flower color: Golden yellow with a red eye
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Foliage: Dark olive-green
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Growth habit: Tall, upright, bushy clump
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Mature size: 4 ft–54 in tall × 42 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Early-August
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
