In The Garden Now…..Giant Fleabane

Giant fleabane
Innula Magnifica

Text and photos by Victoria Gilleland

One of the showiest, easy to grow summer bloomers in my garden is Giant Fleabane. Over 20 years ago I spotted this plant at a small nursery on the Oregon coast near Cannon Beach and brought it home as a memento of a family trip there. One of my best souvenir picks ever! It’s lived in various locations in my garden and been shared with some of my gardening friends. 

This is a very dramatic looking plant with huge heart shaped basal leaves and gigantic clusters of shaggy rich yellow-orange daisy-like flowers. 

It reaches four to six feet high and will make a clump three feet wide. It blooms for many weeks ... at least eight weeks in my garden this year.

It divides readily in spring . The leaves and stems are hairy and somewhat prickly. It grows well in part shade or in a sunny border as long as it gets enough water.

Over the years I’ve grown dozens of perennials in different sizes, shapes and colors. I’ve eliminated many of them because they were temperamental, disease prone, didn’t like growing in my garden, or it turned out that I didn’t like them!

In some cases, I’ll have to admit, they just plain disappeared and I don’t know what happened to them. Perhaps they were the victims of poor location, bullying by another plant, weather, or hungry critters of one sort or another. This Giant Fleabane is a survivor! It just keeps giving year after year.

I’m always amazed at how beautiful this plant is in the summer garden. I wouldn’t be without it!

(Botanical Name: Innula magnifica)


Victoria Gilleland is the owner of Cottage Garden Designs, a Garden Design company specializing in Redesign of Residential Gardens, Garden Consultation and Coaching. She has been designing gardens in the northwest for over 20 years.