Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot White’

Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot White’, commonly known as Everlasting Daisy or Paper Daisy, is a stunning annual celebrated for its delicate yet resilient blooms. These tough dames in fragile dresses are a popular choice for fresh or dried floral arrangements.
Prized for its papery, double-collared white flowers, the crisp white bracts reflect light around a striking centre striped in golden yellow and black. The sharp contrast between the petals and disk florets gives each bloom a bold, graphic presence.

Forming an upright, bushy clump, Pierrot White features slender grey-green foliage and grows 45 to 60cm (18 to 24in) tall. Its fine-textured leaves provide an elegant backdrop to the profusion of daisy-like flowers that bloom abundantly from late spring through summer. The flowers, with their signature paper-like texture, are exceptionally long-lasting both on the plant and when cut. Thanks to their natural ability to retain colour and shape when dried, they’re highly prized in floral crafts and arrangements.

This hardy species thrives in full sun and well-drained sandy or loamy soils. It’s especially suited for drought-tolerant gardens, wildflower meadows, and container displays. While it prefers dry conditions, occasional watering during prolonged dry spells keeps it happy. Resistant to pests and diseases, Pierrot White is low-maintenance and easy to grow, making it an excellent choice for both novice and seasoned gardeners.
Beyond its ornamental charm, this variety is pollinator-friendly, drawing bees and butterflies to the garden. Its ethereal, cloud-like blooms make it a lovely addition to mixed flower beds, borders, and containers alike.
Whether used fresh or dried, Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot White’ remains a timeless classic, adding beauty and elegance to any floral display.

• Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit
  Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot’ has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
• Awarded the Fleuroselect Approved Novelty Award
  Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry have awarded Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot’ the Approved Novelty Award. The Fleuroselect judges were particularly impressed by the strong plants, showing the ideal combination of vigorous growth, earliness and colour.

Sowing: Sow in late winter to early spring indoors, February to April or direct sow from May, once all risk of frost has passed.
Choose a position with a well-drained soil that is moist to on the dry side; they will tolerate drought and do well in dry, infertile soils. They should be exposed to the sun half the day or more
Sprinkle the seeds on the surface. No need to bury them deep as they need light to germinate. Press them gently to ensure they have contact with the soil.

Sowing Indoors:
Sow into individual pots or trays of seed compost. Use well drained soil and cover lightly. Mist lightly to keep the compost moist but don't drown them. Keep them at around 18°C (65°F) and be patient, germination takes 7 to 21 days. Prick out to individual pots, transplant into 7.5cm (3in) pots or trays.
Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10 to 15 days before planting out in growing position after the last expected frosts. Space 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) apart.

Sowing Direct:
Prepare the ground well and rake to a fine tilth. If sowing more than one annual in the same bed, mark the sowing areas with a ring of sand and label. Add a complete fertiliser.
Sow 5mm (¼ in) deep in rows 7cm (3in) apart. Sow sparingly or they will choke out other seedlings. Keep soil moist during germination.
The seedlings will appear in rows approx 3 to 4 weeks after planting and can be easily told from nearby weed seedlings. Thin the seedlings out as necessary so they are finally 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) apart. Carefully replant thinned plants.

Cultivation:
Feed with a fertiliser low in phosphorus. Water regularly. Do not allow the soil to become bone dry, or the plant will die. A moist soil is better, but it needs good drainage, established plants can take some drought.
Remove spent flowers to encourage further blooming. Treat them right, and they'll give you those crisp white petals with gorgeous black eyes—tough dames in a fragile dress.

Dried Flowers:
Helipterum roseum ‘Pierrot’ is essential for dried flowers bouquets and wreaths. Cut when the buds begin to open. Hang them by the stem in a shady dry area for a couple of weeks before being used. If they are left to dry on the plant, they turn tan or light brown so need to be cut and left to dry with their heads down.

Origin:
Helipterum roseum is a frost-tender perennial plant from the Asteraceae family, native to the Southwest of Australia, under the influence of a Mediterranean climate with wet winters and dry summers. It thrives in dry, sandy soils and full sun conditions.
The species has been widely cultivated worldwide, particularly in Europe and North America, where it is grown as an annual in cooler climates. It is well-adapted to arid and temperate climates, making it a favourite for drought-resistant gardens.

Nomenclature:
This plant has been shuffled around by botanists and named and renamed over the years, though the old names still get plenty of use, especially in gardening circles. The name changes reflect the evolving understanding of the plant's relationships within the Asteraceae family.
In 1851 it was initially described by Russian botanist Nicolai Turczaninow and named as Schoenia chlorocephala subsp. rosea. It was reclassified as Acroclinium roseum which was then changed to Helipterum roseum (Hook.) Benth. ​
In 1992: Australian botanist Paul G. Wilson reassigned the species to the genus Rhodanthe, resulting in the current correct botanical name, Rhodanthe chlorocephala.

The name that most gardeners currently use is Helipterum which derives from the Greek Helios meaning sun and Pteron meaning wing or feather. So Helipterum means something like sun-winged or sun-feathered, a nod to the plant’s delicate, papery bracts that flutter like feathers around its bright, sun-like flower centres.
The species name roseum means rosy, rose-coloured, or pinkish. It’s often used in plant names to denote that a plant has pink or rose-tinted flowers.

The new name Rhodanthe is derived from Greek rhodon meaning rose and anthos meaning flower, so meaning ‘rose coloured’ or ‘red flowered’ and refers to the pink coloured flower of the species. Interestingly, Rhodon is the origin the English word rose, and seems to have been borrowed into the Greek language from the East.
Whatever it is called, this plant makes a wonderful, long lasting dried flower and is one of a group of plants that is commonly called an 'Everlasting', 'Immortelle' or 'Strawflower'.