Touch of Blush is a compact variegated false sunflower whose new leaves come in with pink tones. That blush sets off the bright white variegation on the dark green foliage, giving the plant color before it even blooms.
From midsummer into late summer it carries semi-double yellow flowers with layered petals and dark cones. At under two feet tall it fits borders and containers easily, and it tolerates dry spells.
What it looks like
Semi-double daisy flowers about 2½ inches across with several layers of overlapping bright yellow petals around a dark brown cone. Flowers are held on branched stems above the foliage. Leaves are triangular and toothed, dark green heavily marked with bright white variegation, with pink tints on new growth at the tips of the stems. The plant is a compact, bushy mound 18 to 20 inches tall and 16 to 20 inches wide. At peak bloom yellow flowers float over a white, green and pink-flushed mound.
Growing it with lavender
The pink-tinged white foliage and yellow blooms brighten the front of a lavender bed in full sun and well-drained soil.
Care
Grow in full sun to light part shade in average, well-drained soil; established plants tolerate dry spells. Hardy in zones 4 to 9. Deadhead to extend bloom, remove any all-green shoots, and cut the plant back after frost.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Heliopsis helianthoides
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Flower color: Bright yellow with a dark cone
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Foliage: Dark green with white variegation and pink new growth
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Growth habit: Compact, bushy mound
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Mature size: 18–20 in tall × 16–20 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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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: Late-July
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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
