A Guide to Sunflower Varieties

Sunflowers are among the most cheerful and versatile garden plants, offering everything from towering giants to compact border plants. With their bold blooms, easy-going nature, and ability to attract beneficial insects and birds, sunflowers bring life to any garden. Here’s a florist guide to help you choose the perfect sunflower varieties for your space.

Giant Sunflowers

These towering varieties are the classic sunflowers of childhood memories, reaching impressive heights and producing massive flower heads.

‘Mammoth Russian’ is the quintessential giant, growing 10-12 feet tall with flower heads spanning 12-14 inches across. The large seeds are perfect for roasting or feeding birds, and the sturdy stalks create dramatic vertical interest in the garden.

‘American Giant’ reaches even greater heights of 12-15 feet with bright yellow petals surrounding dark centers. It’s an heirloom variety prized for its vigor and substantial seed production.

‘Skyscraper’ lives up to its name, stretching to 12 feet or more. The golden-yellow flowers can reach 14 inches across, making them spectacular focal points that are visible from across the garden.

Branching Sunflowers

Unlike single-stem giants, branching varieties produce multiple stems with numerous flowers, providing weeks of continuous blooms perfect for cutting.

‘Autumn Beauty’ offers a stunning mix of colors including bronze, burgundy, lemon yellow, and mahogany red. Growing 5-7 feet tall, each plant produces dozens of 6-inch blooms with varied patterns and shading.

‘Evening Sun’ displays warm sunset hues ranging from golden yellow to deep burgundy, often with beautiful bicolor patterns. Reaching 6-8 feet tall, it’s a prolific bloomer ideal for cut flower arrangements.

‘Moulin Rouge’ produces velvety, deep burgundy-red flowers with dark centers. Growing 4-6 feet tall, it branches freely and creates a sophisticated, dramatic display.

Dwarf and Compact Varieties

These smaller sunflowers are perfect for containers, small gardens, or front-of-border plantings.

‘Pacino’ is a true miniature, reaching just 12-16 inches tall with 4-inch golden flowers. It’s ideal for pots and creates a cheerful edging plant that blooms prolifically.

‘Sunny Bunch’ grows 20-24 inches tall and produces abundant bright yellow flowers with dark centers. Its compact, bushy habit makes it perfect for containers or small garden spaces.

‘Little Becka’ offers classic yellow petals with dark centers on plants reaching 2-3 feet. It branches well and produces numerous flowers over an extended period.

Specialty and Unique Varieties

These distinctive sunflowers offer unusual colors, forms, or characteristics that make them stand out.

‘Teddy Bear’ produces fully double, fluffy golden-yellow blooms that resemble pompoms. Growing 2-3 feet tall, the thick, densely-petaled flowers are incredibly long-lasting both in the garden and as cut flowers.

‘Valentine’ features pale lemon-yellow petals surrounding striking dark centers. Reaching 5-6 feet tall, it has a refined, elegant appearance that stands out from traditional sunflowers.

‘Chocolate’ produces deep burgundy-brown flowers that appear almost chocolate-colored in certain light. Growing 5-7 feet tall, it’s a branching variety with a sophisticated, unusual palette.

Pollenless Varieties

These sunflowers lack pollen, making them ideal for cut flower arrangements that won’t stain surfaces or trigger allergies.

‘Procut Orange’ offers vibrant orange petals with dark centers on single stems reaching 4-6 feet. It’s a favorite among florists for its clean stems and long vase life.

‘Sunrich Gold’ produces classic golden-yellow flowers on uniform 5-foot stems. It’s widely grown commercially and performs excellently in home gardens.

‘Procut White’ is a stunning variety with creamy-white petals and dark centers. Growing 4-6 feet tall, it adds elegance to arrangements and garden designs.

Growing Tips

Sunflowers thrive in full sun with well-drained soil. Most varieties are remarkably drought-tolerant once established. Giant varieties may need staking in windy locations, while branching types benefit from pinching when young to encourage bushier growth. Deadheading spent blooms on branching varieties extends the flowering season, while leaving seed heads intact on single-stem varieties provides food for birds through fall and winter.

Consider succession planting every two weeks for continuous blooms throughout summer and fall, and mix different heights and colors to create dynamic garden displays.

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