Jerusalem artichokes taxa I'm growing

my Helianthus strumosus & Helianthus tuberosus cvs.

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Following success over the last few years growing plants in containers at altitude in the mountains of northwest Wales I am growing many more cultivars this year. With the changes to local climates we all now have to get used to unexpected variations, so there is certainly is a degree of experimentation to some extent. I may have storms all summer which will not be good for such a tall plant.

Jerusalem artichoke tubers and growing plants are quite similar to the pale-leaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus L. [not Willd.]) and as they both arrived in Europe in the 17th Century it may well be that there has been hybridisation in the wild and in cultivation resulting in the continued growing of hybrid tubers with regional names for Jerusalem artichokes. This is certainly the case today with the same tuber being offered for sale as Helianthus tuberosus 'Aurora Rubin' and Helianthus strumosus 'Aurora Rubin'. Below I have used the name as supplied to me. Information on the uniqueness of different cultivars is thin on the internet once you go beyond a handful of name. There is also the variation in appearance of tubers on the same plant and how they are grown in different environments.

Now that the UK is no longer in the "Single Market" obtaining tubers and plants from small specialist nurseries in the EU is impossible and stricter International regulations for cross border movement of plant material means that my collection of cultivars is almost all sourced in the UK. I have given the source of my tubers/plants so that anyone interested can enquire as to availability. Most are sold as tubers from late autumn and can sell out very quickly, if not field grown. Very rare tubers may arrive the size of walnuts, or even smaller, and be impossible to identify until fully grown the following November. You will find the odd cultivar being sold as a plant in spring.

Jerusalem artichoke named cultivars I am growing, 2024

Full Name (source of my tubers or plants)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Aurora Rubin’ (Gardens For Life) (Phil Kennedy)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Blau Französische’ (Edulis)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Boston Red’ (Phil Kennedy)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Chinese’ (not Chinese artichoke!) (Gardens For Life)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Dwarf’ (Incredible Vegetables)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Dwarf Sunray’ (Incredible Vegetables) (The Backyard Larder)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Fuseau' (Tamar Organics)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Garard’ (Tamar Organics)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Garnet’ (Edulis)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Herman’ (Gardens For Life)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Originals' (Kings Seeds)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Papas' (Pennard Plants)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Papas Patio' (Bedwen Nursery)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Red Fuseau’ (Gardens For Life)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Red Tupinambo’ (Antonio Fernandez-Jardon Sanchez)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Sashalinski’ (Edulis)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Stampede’ (Phil Kennedy)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Sugarball’ (Edulis)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Unknown ex Germany' (Edulis)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Urodny' (The Backyard Larder)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘White Fuseau’ (Gardens For Life)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘White Truffle’ (Gardens For Life)

Helianthus tuberosus ‘Wilton Rose’ (Edulis)

Jerusalem artichoke hybrids I am growing, 2024, (bred by Alison Tindale)

Full Name (source of my tubers)

Helianthus (tuberosus 'Dwarf Sunray' × annuus) 'Manifold' (The Backyard Larder)

Helianthus (tuberosus 'Dwarf Sunray' × annuus 'Mexican Giant') "tall" (The Backyard Larder)

Pale-leaf woodland sunflowers I am growing, 2024

Full Name (source of my tubers)

Helianthus strumosus (Pennard Plants)

Helianthus strumosus ‘Aurora Rubin’ (The Backyard Larder)

Helianthus strumosus ‘Blauange’ (Edulis)

If you know of any other cultivars available to the UK please let me know as these are all I have been able to find up to now. There are other named cultivars listed in the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Republic of South Africa and the United States of America but all sources only distribute the their own country. If you grow a named cultivar I am willing to swap for any in my collection.

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