I'm green with envy. I'm coveting a curiosity. I'm tempted to steal a sunflower. I want this plant, and it grows in a public garden in a town just down the road. It is Helianthus salicifolius, Willow-Leaf Sunflower.
Nowhere else have I ever seen this plant, save the internet. It's growing in Willow Park, in some beds of wonderful grasses, roses, and the like.
I first noticed this amazing foliage last summer, and wondered what on earth this could be. It was so nice early in the season; it did not even need to bloom to call my name and say, "You need me."
Only when it started to bloom in late September could I discover it was a helianthus, meaning, simply, "sun"-"flower." Salicifolius, of course, means it has leaves like Willow, Salix. H.s. is blooming now, at the same time and with flowers very similar to Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus. But Willow-Leaf has leaves as narrow as Jerusalem Artichoke's are wide, if you know that plant.
It seems to be a very happy perennial in the Annapolis Valley. Where can I find some for my own garden? I don't know. Last year I sought seeds from these plants, but I don't think any ripened or were produced. To me this is a rare and unusual plant, and it is so close at hand! Perhaps next year I'll find a source.
If you grow it, I hope you enjoy it thoroughly!
I bet you it came from Blomidon Nursery. You might ask Jacquie there. She'd know. It is quite unusual isn't it, and can't say I have seen it anywhere.
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