Bigelow’s sneezeweed
Bigelow’s sneezeweed (Helenium bigelovii) is an easy-to-grow native plant for moist garden conditions in full sun.
Bigelow’s sneezweed is a fun, bright-yellow native wildflower that flowers in mid- to late-summer and is attractive to a wide variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. A common site in meadows, marshes and bogs, and along springs and streams at mid to high elevations in the Klamath-Siskiyou, Bigelow’s sneezeweed typically grows 2′-3′ tall with many flowering stalks. It prefers full sun but is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types as long as sufficient moisture is available.
Native to California and southwestern Oregon, Bigelow’s sneezeweed is a perennial wildflower that will add color and interest to your garden for many years. Bigelow’s sneezeweed is a common plant in high elevation moist meadows in the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains. It is a member of the aster (Asteraceae) family.
Bigelow’s sneezeweed is named after J.M. Bigelow, a plant collector on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey in the 1850s. Don’t let the common name scare you! Despite the common name, sneezeweed, this wildflower is not allergenic. It was originally used by Native Americans as a snuff, hence the common name. Bigelow’s sneezeweed is very adaptable to the irrigated garden environment and flowers after dead-heading.
Seed Germination Instructions
Bigelow’s sneezeweed is easy to grow from seed and is fast growing. With favorable conditions it will flower in the second year of growth.
To germinate the seed use 30 days cold-moist stratification. Best results will occur if seeded outside in fall to late winter. Seeds can be started in containers or direct seeded in the ground.
