Immortelle not only look great in the garden, but also in drying bouquets. So here is everything you need to know about sowing straw flowers and caring for them.
A few years ago, the everlasting flower, which blooms in countless colours, was native to many of our gardens, but has unfortunately been more and more forgotten in the recent past. And this despite the fact that it is easy to cut and dry in late summer and could often find its place in a drying arrangement afterwards.
The helichrysum is also one of the easy-care plants in the garden bed, but it has to be sown again and again every year if the individual perennials cannot be overwintered frost-free. In a suitable place, the helichrysum can also ensure an independent re-sowing in autumn by ejecting its seed. Otherwise, here is a description of how you can sow the helichrysum yourself.
Sowing Annual Summer Flower
Hurryflowers are available in a colorful mix of pink, red, orange, white and yellow flowers, sometimes even in multiple colors. No matter which color(s) you choose, you can grow the straw flowers on the window sill from April, or sow them directly outdoors from May (immediately after the Ice Saints). In both cases, you only have to push the fine seeds a little bit into the soil.
When sowing, however, you should note that the helichrysum prefers full sun and dry soil conditions.
Proper care of straw flowers
» Encourage flowering:
The early straw flowers begin to bloom as early as June, the plants sown outdoors as early as the end of June/beginning of July. They then bloom until October. However, as soon as the flowers start to wither, you should remove them immediately to encourage the rapid formation of new flowers.
» Irrigation:
Although immortelle clearly prefers dry soil, you may need to water it minimally on particularly hot days. In this way, you can even keep the helichrysum in large pots without any problems.
» Fertilize:
During growth and just before flowering you can use the Helichrysumstrengthen with a small addition of complete fertilizer. As soon as the helichrysum blooms, however, further fertilizer applications are not recommended. From this point on, however, you should support large straw flowers if necessary so that they don't snap off too quickly in wind and rain.
» Overwintering:
Most strawflower varieties are not hardy. Therefore, you must either overwinter the flowers in a frost-free room or protect them adequately against the winter frosts outdoors.
Tip - Dry straw flowers:
Hurryflowers look great in dried bouquets. That's a great homemade gift from the garden. You only have to dry the straw flowers properly beforehand. Simply cut off half-open flowers as long as possible and hang them in a cool, dark place.