The variety was among a batch of anonymous seedlings that had been raised by JFW Reus, a flowerbulb grower in the north of Holland. He was growing the plants as a sideline hobby to his main business, and sold the cutflowers direct to local people.

However, in 2002, JFW Reus retired from the trade and sold off all the assets. These included the greenhouses, so when Nic Geerlings came along to purchase one of these, a deal was struck with him to also buy the stock of unnamed Helenium seedlings contained within it.

Nic set about seeing which of the plants he wanted to develop further, and when he discovered 'Chelsey' among them, decided to name it for his grand daughter.

Chelsey and 'Chelsey' together

H. 'Chelsey' is a plant defined by both its flowers and its habit.

The flowers form a perfect disc shape as their petals fan boldly outwards rather than drooping as some varieties do. They can be over 3" (8cm) in diameter, but their most interesting feature is the huge variations of red vs yellow colouring.

Various colour ratios as the flowers go through different stages of development create an intreaguing effect.

The ‘typical’ opened flower may be a very deep crimson, flecked with yellow highlights near the petal edges, but the percentage of yellow flecks van vary enormously. Younger flowers typically have more yellow in them. It appears that the less light the flowers receive, the more yellow they have, so flowers growing lower down are yellower than ones at the top.

The cone begins yellow, as the petals are forming, then deepens to a very rich velvet brown. Gradually the cone flowers open transforming it into yellow marbled globe, which remains decorative for a few weeks even after the petals have fallen.

The secret of 'Chelsey's colouring lies somewhere in its parentage. It is a cross between the yellow H. 'Kanaria' and a red flowered seedling, also from JFW Reus.

Masses of flowers fight for space.

Apart from its never ending colour schemes, ‘Chelsey’ has a very appealing habit. Slightly shorter than most varieties, the plants have very thick, sturdy stems, and the leaves are coarser then other varieties.