Helenium `Waltraut'

After much careful nurturing (and the failure of one of the plants) my two remaining plants are finally flowering.  I had to keep picking out the growth tips to encourage the plant to form more flowers and finally it has. 

This plant has lots of childhood memories for me as we used to gather the centres and call it tobacco. Interesting then to learn that some indigenous people from North America used to gather it for its snuff like properties.