When reading such a complex name as helihrizum, Most likely, few people will understand exactly what kind of plant in question. But when the word "immortelle" such will be much more. The plant is famous for the fact that it does not fade for a long time, and from it you can make beautiful dried flowers, pleasing the eye during the winter season for several years. On the features of planting and caring for helihrizum in open ground, read our material.
Botanical description
In addition to the immortelle, the plant has a few more names: Cmin, gold flowers, zheltyanka, immortal. In the people he was nicknamed never-wind, zhivuchku, cat paws, unstable. Such a number of names clearly indicates that the plant is very popular and does not leave many indifferent.
Did you know? Title "helihrizum"probably derived from two Greek words: "helios" - the sun, "chrysos" - golden. Most likely, such a name a flower has received because it most often blossoms in a golden color.
Genus of helihrizum (Helichrysum) includes annual and perennial grassy erect or creeping plants, as well as shrubs and subshrubs. Enters into Astrov family or asteraceae.
Other asteroids are also very popular: gelenium, echinacea, heliopsis, coreopsis, gaillardia, yarrow, elecampane.Plants united in this genus are distributed throughout the world, and they are considered to be two continents as their homeland: Africa and Australia.
There are about 500 species of immortelle, they cultivated about 30. They have such strong differences that it is very hard to believe that they belong to the same genus.
Stems in this plant, as a rule, strongly branched. Since among them there are both tall and ground cover specimens, the run in their length can be quite large - from 20 to 110 cm. 
The leaves are whole, opposite or alternate, narrow, covered over the entire surface with down and wrapped edges downwards. Grow in length from three to seven centimeters.
The plant blooms with large or medium inflorescences in the form of baskets of various colors. Distantly flowers remind camomiles. Abundant flowering continues for three months - begins in June and ends in August, but in some areas it may bloom until October.
After ottsvetaniya fruits are formed in the form of seeds 1.6 mm long.
As we have already mentioned, helihrizum is often grown to be used in floristics in winter or dry bouquets, flower arrangements. Fresh flowers look very beautiful in beds and mixborders, on stony hills and in curbs, in rockeries and rock gardens. The best neighborhood for them are lavender, sage, chamomile, thyme, rosemary. 
Also, the plant is used for therapeutic purposes. In traditional medicine, several drugs are presented that contain immortelle flowers, and in folk medicine there are many recipes for using this plant - mainly for the preparation of choleretic agents. Also known about its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action.
Essential oil from immortelle is used in perfumery to create perfumes.
Did you know? For a long time, unusual, mystical properties have been attributed to the immortelle, and legends about its origin. So, he is often put on the graves, because they believe that the soul of the deceased is infused into him. And in India there is a legend that this particular flower appeared on the spot where once two wild lovers were torn to pieces by wild beasts.
Varieties and varieties
Of the 30 types of helihrizum that are cultivated, the following are the most popular:
- Helichrizum bract. This is a plant with a straight stem, about 80 cm tall and narrow leaves. It blooms with small flowers, tubular and reed, which are combined in a head covered with multi-row scales. It is characterized by a long flowering - from July to the first frost. Color depending on the variety of different. The most interesting are the varieties "Feuerball" (with red-brown flowers), "Violet" (dark red with a purple tinge), "White" (white), "Yellow" (yellow) and others.
- Helihrizum coral. Groundcover variety with stems up to 25 cm. The leaves and flowers are very small. It blooms yellow. Can tolerate low temperatures.
- Helihrizum is margaritkovidny. Ground-cover plant growing to 8 cm, with small leaves and white inflorescences, very similar to chamomile.
- Helichrizum albicans. Tall variety with stems up to 1.5 m in length. The leaves are large - up to 10 cm in length and up to 9 cm in width. The inflorescences are yellow in the center, surrounded by white or yellow bracts.
- Helichrizum Italian. It has medium sized stems - up to 60 cm in height. Its leaves have a strong odor, vaguely reminiscent of curry seasoning. It blooms yellow. This variety is used in medicine, perfumery and even cooking.
- Helichrizum Arenarium, or immortelle sandy. Plant with a simple and straight stem 30-40 cm tall. The leaves are small, about 2-6 cm. Blooms buds in the form of spherical baskets with a diameter of 4-6 mm. Each inflorescence consists of 10-30 tubular yellow or orange flowers. Used for decorative purposes, in medicine and as an insecticide.
- Helihrizum mifovidovy. Beautiful undersized plant, forming a solid carpet. The flowers consist of tongue petals, pink on the outside and white on the inside. It is characterized by long flowering - from late spring to mid-autumn.
Important! To cut the flowers for the winter bouquet, it should be done in the morning. In this case, there should be a certain disclosure of flowers - the lower petals are fully disclosed, the central ones are not. For drying, they are collected in bundles of 15-25 pieces and hung down by heads on the street under a canopy. When fumigated with sulfur fumes (in a closed container for 12 hours), flowers retain color and shape for two to three years.
Location
Helichrisum belongs to unpretentious cultures, but in order for it to please you with its long and abundant flowering, it is necessary to choose the composition of the soil and the place for its planting.
Place and light
The immortelle is light-requiring. The area where he will comfortably grow should be well open to the sun's rays. However, it is not scary if a light shadow falls on it. Drought flower is not terrible.
It was young, carnation, aster, thyme, bell, yaskolka, stonecrop, edelweiss, sage (salvia), geykhera, yarrow and liatris, as well as the immortelle - light-loving plants, so they will feel great on well-lit beds.
Growing soil
The immortelle prefers fertile and light soil. Although it can grow in poorer soil, but not heavy clay. Optimal soils: black soil, loam, sandy loam. The main condition is the presence of good drainage, since the plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture. The soil should be neutral in acidity.
Growing from seed
The immortelle reproduces in three ways:
- Seed.
- Cuttings.
- The division of the bush.
Direct seeding
Seed preparation for this plant is not needed. Direct sowing is desirable to use only for ground cover varieties, since, as a rule, they are the most cold-resistant. Seeds are immediately sown on the selected site in the first 7-10 days of May. After the seedlings grow enough and become strong, they are thinned out so that the intervals between the stems are not less than 15 cm.
Important! If frost is threatened, crops should be covered with plastic wrap..If you grow cmin in this way, then it will bloom in August.
Seedling method
Seedlings are sown on seedlings at the end of March - at the beginning of April. Landing ground should be light. It can be prepared independently from one part of sand and one part of peat. You can also purchase a special seedling substrate at a flower shop.
Plants are planted, leaving 4 cm gaps between them. After planting, the ground is sprayed with water from a spray bottle. A container with planted seeds covered with glass or plastic wrap and put in a temperature of + 25-28 ° C. Shoots should be expected after about 10 days. Landings need to be watered and ventilated periodically. It is important to prevent the substrate from drying out.
After the shoots have risen, in two weeks they should be strong enough and tall. It is time to pick into separate containers. As a rule, at this time the root system of young plants is already very strong, so it easily takes root in new conditions. The most important thing is timely watering. Dropped out seedlings for further growth can (but not necessarily) be placed in a greenhouse. 
When planting helihrizum in open soil when grown from seed by seedling, will depend on the region of growth. This usually occurs in mid-May. However, you can also plant immortelle at the beginning of the month and at the end. The main thing is not to have frosts. The gaps between the bushes should be at least 25 cm. It is advisable to add some peat to the planting wells. If you grow cumin with seedlings, then flowering should be expected in the middle of summer.
Care for helihdrum
Caring for immortelle is minimal. You can even do without it. However, it goes without saying that if you follow the plant, it will look better and blossom more abundantly and brighter.
Watering for immortelle recommended medium - the abundance of moisture, he does not accept. In hot weather, it is advisable to do this more often - it is better daily in small portions.
Important! The main enemy for the immortelle is the stagnation of moisture and waterlogging. The plant should be watered when the topsoil dries out, but in small amounts of water.
During the growing season, the plant will need to be fertilized once every two weeks. For feeding you can use any complex mineral or organic fertilizers. If possible, you can feed with water extract mullein.
Tall varieties will need to pinch. The procedure is carried out on the central shoot over its fifth or sixth leaf. Ground cover species do not need pinching.
An important condition for the care of helihrizum is timely cutting of faded blossoms and dry stems. Periodic weeding and loosening of the soil are also desirable. 
Greater care will require perennials. In addition to all the above procedures, they will also need a shelter for the winter (sawdust, lapnik, peat, dry foliage), since they are generally less cold-resistant than annuals. Usually they are dug up before winter, transplanted into pots and put into a room. Spring return to its original place. They need to water and feed more often. But they do not require pinching.
Other breeding methods
Perennial crops are propagated by vegetative means - dividing the bush and grafting. The division produced in the spring. Shrub should be dug and divided into parts with a sharp knife. The place where the knife remains is to be treated with charcoal, which will dry it well and will not let rot and infection develop. Directly after the separation, the bushes are planted in a permanent place. They are watered and loosened daily before they adapt well to the soil.
Cutting is also suitable for shrub forms. The procedure is carried out in summer (end of July - beginning of August). Carefully cut cuttings of 10 cm in length are planted in a previously prepared substrate of two parts of sand, one part of the ground and one part of peat. Landings require regular watering. After the appearance of the roots of young plants are transplanted in pots or in open ground. 
Solar caps are beautiful and unpretentious plants that can decorate any flower bed, garden, summer cottage. Low-growing varieties also do an excellent job with the task of hiding the errors of the relief. Having planted such plants, you can always admire their long flowering, and after it is over, place a beautiful bouquet of dried flowers in the house and continue to enjoy the riot of colors in the winter.
