Helenium amarum ‘Dakota Gold’

This plant was once a lowly resident of beat down over-grazed livestock pens, but then it got invited to “Extreme Makeover Plant Edition”. Now what was once an ugly duckling has been transformed into an attractive and elegant bedding plant suitable to be included in gardens all around the world. In reality, Dr. Mike Arnold of Texas A&M University took the common native bitterweed, and over a10 year period, bred into it, desirable garden traits. Dakota Gold has a dwarf compact habit and produces more and larger bright yellow daisies than its redneck kin. Though it is now showier, this butterfly attracting native retains its toughness. It is deer proof, rabbit proof and after only a few initial waterings to get established, is tolerant of dry hot weather.