Grow beautiful sunflowers

When we think of sunflowers, we usually picture the tall variety with a large single yellow flower. But there are so many more varieties to explore!

The sunflower genus is Helianthus, which is derived from the Greek helios meaning ‘sun’, and anthos meaning ‘flower’. There are about 70 species in the Helianthus genus, but forms of the common sunflower (H. annuus) are the most popular. Most grow from 60cm to 1.2m tall, but dwarf forms only get to 25cm, which makes them an ideal choice for pots. The tallest species is the giant sunflower (H. giganteus), a lofty annual growing up to 4m tall.

Flowers can be up to 30cm wide but are smaller on multi-headed varieties. All forms are popular with bees and other beneficial insects. Breeders have created pollen-free varieties, which are preferred by florists as they last longer in a vase (and in the garden) and don’t make a mess. They’re also a good choice for hayfever sufferers.

Five sunflowers to try…

‘Double Dazzler’
This variety is destined to dazzle with its multiple big, fluffy and full double golden flowers. It will grow 1.5–2m tall.

‘Evening Sun’
You’ll find this sunflower showing off its multiple 20cm flowers in shades of red, brown and mahogany, with dark centres and velvety petals. It will reach 1.8–2.4m tall.

FleuroSun ‘Lilac Monarch’
Pollen-free and unbranched, this flower features a dark centre and lemon petals with an unusual lilac tinge. It takes 62–70 days to flower and will grow 1.1–1.3m tall.

FleuroSun ‘Dwarf Summer Spray’
A low-growing variety that reaches just 25–40cm tall, ‘Dwarf Summer Spray’ sparkles with its yellow to orange overlapping petals and green centre. It’s pollen-free and branched.

‘Giant Russian’
Sitting tall and pretty in the garden, ‘Giant Russian’ features golden yellow petals and a brown centre on a head up to 50cm across. This is the best variety for edible seeds, and the plant will grow some 3m tall.

Photo by Chris L Jones