Helichrysum Seeds — Strawflower (Mixed Colours)

The everlasting flower. Helichrysum, known as Strawflower, opens papery petals in red, pink, orange, yellow and white that feel dry to the touch even on a living plant — and keep their colour for years once cut and hung to dry.

Xerochrysum bracteatum. A winter annual for Pakistani gardens, grown for beds, borders, large pots and above all for cutting.

How to sow — the one rule that matters

Do not cover the seed. Helichrysum needs light falling on it to germinate. Press it gently onto the surface of damp soil and leave it completely bare. Buried under even a few millimetres of soil or cocopeat, it will not come up.

• Water the pot before sowing, not after — stand it in a tray until the surface darkens.
• Sow onto that damp surface, press down lightly, leave uncovered.
• Afterwards mist or water from below so the fine seed is not washed away.
• Germination in 7 to 14 days at 20 to 24°C.
• Move seedlings on at the first pair of true leaves, spacing them 25 to 30 cm apart.

When to sow in Pakistan

• Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot: mid-September to end October
• Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar: September to mid-October
• Karachi and coastal Sindh: October to November
• Murree, Swat, Quetta and northern valleys: February to March

Growing on

Full sun and free-draining soil. Helichrysum dislikes wet feet — let the surface dry between waterings and it will reward you. Plants reach 60 to 90 cm and may need a short stake in an exposed spot. Flowers from February through May.

Drying for everlasting arrangements

This is what the plant is really for. Cut the stems when the outer petals have just opened and the centre is still tight — a fully open flower keeps opening as it dries and loses its shape. Strip the lower leaves, tie the stems in small bunches and hang them upside down in a dark, airy room for two to three weeks. Dried this way they hold their colour for several years.

Delivery

Flat Rs 250 anywhere in Pakistan, free on orders over Rs 3,500, and free delivery inside Lahore.

The Garden by Chanan Din — seed merchants in Lahore since 1932.