Back in 1998, Pieter Damen planted a mixture of Heleniums together as he set out to create improved varieties that would give him something new and unique to add to his cutflower range.

His main aim was to find a plant whose flowers all bloom at a level height, but as he examined the thousands of seedlings he obtained in the first year, a few were sporting double flowers. Pretty incredible, considering double flowered Heleniums were unheard of at that time.  

Pieter Damen in 'Double Trouble'

On closer inspection, one stood out for having stronger, more vigorous growth, and so was immediately selected for possible introduction.

'Double Trouble' was grown and propaged in the years that followed at Pieter's nursery, as stocks were built and it was observed for consistency.

As well as having good quality foliage and the strong stems pre-requisite for any good cutflower variety, 'Double Trouble' is a real stayer, as its flowers are sterile, which leads to them lasting a lot longer. With no energy being diverted into seed production, the plants continue to produce flowers until the first frosts indicate that it's time to stop. In all, you can expect up to 6 or 7 weeks flowering time out of it!