Helianthus strumosus, Woodland (Pale Leaf) Sunflower

Pale Leaved Sunflower with beetle and bee.

It's easy to miss Woodland Sunflower, often glimpsed along woodland edges as you drive down a country road. It can be quite variable in form, sometimes with reddish stems with more or fewer yellow rays. It it often situated to capture morning or afternoon sun with shade during the heat of the day. This is a great choice to grow at the edge or just inside of a woodland, alongside White Snakeroot, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Virginia Clematis, or Wild Bergamot.

Shelterwood is unlikely to have more than a handful of these as seed is hard to come by. For the 2023 season, I may not offer any to continue to propagate what I do have. A fair replacement that is much easier to find is Heliopsis helianthoides, aka False Sunflower.

Blooms: yellow, July into September

Height: 3-4 feet

Conditions: pt sun to pt shade, medium to moist-medium soils