Helianthus salicifolius 'Autumn Gold' (Willow-leaved Sunflower) Unity Grown

Helianthus salicifolius 'Autumn Gold' is a a compact, mound-forming cultivar of willow-leaved sunflower, an herbaceous perennial wildflower found throughout the midwest and great plains region. Selected for its attractive growth habit, the 'Autumn Gold' variety produces profuse and densely blooming bright yellow flowers from late summer until the first hard frost of fall in a more compact form than the wild-type species. Though Helianthus salicifolius can reach heights up to ten feet tall in the wild, mature clumps of 'Autumn Gold' typically only reach about 18-24" in height and width, and have a low-growing, shrub-like appearance for most of the spring and summer due to their dense, narrow, willow-like foliage.

Blooming from the late summer into the middle of fall, Helianthus salicifolius is an important species for all kinds of pollinators, with bees and butterflies consuming the plant's nectar, and caterpillars using the plant as a host before they turn into butterflies. With all of that pollinator appeal, 'Autumn Gold' makes for just as excellent an addition to a pollinator garden as they do to a meadow or border planting, and these compact specimens fit well into small beds and containers, adding much-needed pollinator appeal to spaces that can't normally handle all the benefits of a ten-foot tall wildflower. With such a compact size and a ton of ecological appeal in terms of pollen, nectar, and seeds that birds love, 'Autumn Gold' is an excellent, showy sunflower variety, perfect for the home garden.