Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'
Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light' · Asteraceae
Stems clothed in narrow, drooping, willow-like leaves make a fine-textured column all summer, then explode into golden daisies in October.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid September to mid October
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'
The planner designed this bed around willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' × 1, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 8, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 9, white
- 4 Gloriosa daisy 'Indian Summer' × 5, yellow
- 5 Musk mallow × 3, pink
- 6 Spurge 'Chameleon' × 3, purple leaves
- 7 Star of Persia × 4, purple
- 8 Grape hyacinth × 12, blue
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to musk mallow (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid September to mid October.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Winter heath repeats along the bed to tie it together. Low plants run along 93% of the front edge: winter heath and bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei'.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Worth growing for the foliage alone, which is like a tall, shaggy grass. This compact selection stays upright, where the species flops. Pair it with the bold leaves of sedum or the blue of aromatic aster.
- Fine foliage texture all season
- A late burst of gold
- The back of a sunny bed
What to plant with willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for five weeks; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': in flower together for four weeks, from mid September; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'
Does willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' need sun or shade?
Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid September to mid October. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 5 | Mid September to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 7 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 8 | Mid September to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Mid September to mid October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after willowleaf sunflower 'First Light'?
Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' look like in winter?
Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.
Is willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' good for bees and butterflies?
Willowleaf sunflower 'First Light' is visited by bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Helianthus
- Double perennial sunflower Helianthus x multiflorus 'Flore Pleno'
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- Sunflower 'Lemon Queen' Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius
- Woodland sunflower Helianthus divaricatus
In these guides
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Tall perennials and grasses for the back of a border
- Plants that flower in fall
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid September to mid October; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Central United States
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.