Sunflowers: With bright blooms that go all summer, sunflowers are heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and attractive to pollinators. Harvest the seeds in late summer and fall for a healthy snack or for the birds! Learn how to plant, grow, and care for sunflowers. About Sunflowers
The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant with a sizeable daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”). The flowers come in many colors (yellow, red, orange, maroon, brown), but they are commonly bright yellow with brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers, and many attract bees, birds, and butterflies.
Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky from east to west and then return at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun. Heliotropism happens during the earlier stages before the flower grows heavy with seeds.
There are tons of varieties of sunflowers available today, so there’s bound to be one that fits your garden. Choose between those with branching stems or single stems, those that produce ample pollen for pollinators or are pollen-free (best for bouquets), those that stay small or tower above the rest of the garden, or those that produce edible seeds! Learn why you should start growing these happy flowers in your garden.
For more information on how to grow sunflowers click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Sunflowers link.
Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower): Common Sunflower is and annual in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It's commonly seen growing along roads, fences, fields, and in waste areas west of the Mississippi River and is the state flower of Kansas. Hybridization has produced many cultivars, expanding the range of flowers from the common yellow to red, mahogany, bronze, white and bi-colors. This plant is grown commercially as food for birds, livestock and humans. Steamed buds have an artichoke flavor.
Helianthus angustifolius (Narrow Leaf Sunflower): Swamp sunflower is a native perennial member of the aster family and can be found from NY to FL to TX. It is a large perennial that can grow up to 8 feet tall with showy yellow daisy-like flowers from mid to late summer into fall. Prune plants back in June to encourage branching. It prefers moist to occasionally wet acidic sandy to clay loams in full sun. It can be grown on drier soils if adequate moisture is provided. It will tolerate part shade but flowers better in full sun. This plant is a favorite of pollinators and songbirds. There are shorter cultivars available if desired. Use this plant in the back border of a native/pollinator garden, naturalized area, or along streams and ponds. Give it room to grow and spread and you will have a profusion of late-season flowers when little else is blooming. This plant was selected as the 2007 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Helianthus atrorubens (Appalachian Sunflower): Sunflower is a herbaceous perennial that may grow 3 to 5 feet tall. The leaves are opposite with a smooth margin. White hairs extend down the margin of the leaves. The stem is coarsely hairy. Large, yellow flowers with a brown center first mature in mid-summer and continue into late fall. Helianthus atrorubens is found in rocky, clay or sandy soils of woodlands and along road banks. It excels in open woodland gardens, cottage gardens, and mixed perennial beds and attracts bees, butterflies. Woodland birds collect the seed.
Helianthus decapetalus (Forest Sunflower): Ten-Petal Sunflower is a rhizomatous perennial wildflower in the aster family that is native to eastern and central North America and is found in woodlands and forests. It is found in all areas of NC but is more prevalent in the Piedmont and mountains. It is a high-value wildlife plant providing food for pollinators, birds and mammals. The bright yellow flowers are up to 3 inches across and bloom from July to Oct. It can spread aggressively in the right conditions. This plant prefers full sun to partial shade in moist, loamy, well-drained soils. Use this plant in a naturalized area, woodland edge or meadow. Great for naturalizing.
Helianthus divaricatus (Rough Sunflower): Woodland Sunflower, is a native herbaceous perennial in the aster family that can grow 5 to 7 feet tall. It is native to eastern and central North America and is found in all areas of NC in rocky or sandy woodlands and dry open sites. The leaves are opposite with a smooth to slightly toothed margin and hairy underside. The leaves often have no stem. Large, yellow flowers first mature in early summer and continue into early fall. Woodland Sunflower is easy to grow in average well-drained soils in partial shade. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil types. Use in the native/pollinator garden, naturalized area or woodland garden. It is drought tolerant once established. It is a high-value wildlife plant. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Taller plants may need staking.
Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian Sunflower): Helianthus maximiliani is a prairie sunflower named after Prince Maxmilian of Germany, a naturalist who lead an expedition to the West from 1832 to 1834. The Maxmillian Sunflower prefers moist, clay-like soil but is tolerant of a wide variety of soils. It is easily grown from seed and taller plants may benefit from staking.
Helianthus microcephalus (Small-headed Sunflower): Small Woodland Sunflower is a native wildflower in the aster family found in dry woodland areas or along roadsides in the eastern U.S.A. In NC it is found in all areas but primarily in the Piedmont and mountain regions. It will grow 4-6 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide. The yellow flowers are showy in clusters with a long bloom season. Pollinators are attracted to the blooms and birds will eat the seeds. It spreads by rhizomes and reseeding. Small Woodland Sunflower is easy to grow in average well-drained soils and tolerates moist to occasionally dry soil and full sun to partial shade. It is drought tolerant once established. Deadhead the blooms to stimulate reblooming and prevent unwanted seeding. Divide plants as needed to control growth. This plant is suitable for cottage gardens, naturalized and native gardens and rock gardens. It makes a great nectar plant for a butterfly garden as well.
Helianthus occidentalis (Fewleaf Sunflower): Naked-stem Sunflower is a native herbaceous perennial wildflower found along rocky or sandy riparian areas. Easy to identify in the wild by the rosette of stalked, basal leaves, 1 1/2 inches across around the base of the plant's 2 to 4 foot stalk and one to four pairs of small, widely spaced, stalkless leaves on the stem. The blades of basal leaves usually have rounded bottom and blunt tips. Their upper blade surfaces are medium green and rough-textured, while their lower surfaces are light green. In addition to their central veins, the basal leaves have 1 to 2 pairs of lateral veins that originate from the bases of their blades. The slender petioles of the basal leaves are 1 to 4 inches long and light green. The flowering stalk is light green to greenish red and glabrous to hairy, mostly naked, except for 1 to 2 pairs of opposite leaves below and a few alternate leaves above. The blades of opposite or alternate leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch across, lanceolate or elliptic in shape and usually smooth (entire) along their margins. The blades surfaces of these leaves are similar to those of the basal leaves, while their petioles are either absent or up to a 1/2 inch long. The flowering stalk terminates in 1 to 12 flower heads. Individual flower heads are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches across, consisting of 8 to 22 ray florets that surround numerous disk florets. The petaloid rays are yellow and oblong to elliptic in shape. The tiny disk florets have tubular corollas that are yellow and 5-lobed. Around the base of each flower head, there are several overlapping floral bracts. The root system is a narrow taproot with shallow rhizomes that sometimes form vegetative colonies. Plants should be divided every 3 or 4 years to control spread and maintain vigor. The plant prefers full sun, average dry to medium conditions, and well-drained soil. This wildflower will tolerate partial sun and a wide range of soils, from clay to sand; however, clay soil will need to be amended. On deep fertile soil, it is not competitive with other species of plants and is one of the less aggressive Helianthus spp. (sunflowers). The genus name is from the Greek helios meaning sun and anthos meaning flower. The species name means west in the sense that North America is west of Europe and not that the plant is native to the west.
Helianthus resinosus (Resindot Sunflower): Resinous Sunflower is an herbaceous perennial wildflower native to several southeastern states. It nature, it can be found growing along roadsides, in pine woodlands, mixed hardwood forests, and thickets. Each stem can grow up to 8 feet in height and will produce 1 to 5 flower heads. Each head has 10 to 20 yellow ray petals which are the outer larger petals and over 90 yellow disc flowers, which are the tiny innermost flowers. This sunflower is noted for the abundant yellow resin dots or glands on the leaves and flower heads. This plant is native to North Carolina and prefers full sun to partial shade and soil of average moisture. However, it does tolerate dry soil and soils of most texture, including clay. It is self-seeding and you can easily expand your garden with this large perennial for years. It will also multiply by underground suckers. The suckers can be shared with other gardeners. Once they have become established, a small trowel can be used to dig them up. Pot them and give them time to establish a root system before replanting. Of course, the ease with which it spreads can make it a problem to keep under control. This plant is sometimes mistakenly sold under the name Helianthus Tomentosus Michaux.
Helianthus schweinitzii (Schweinitz's Sunflower): Schweinitz's Sunflower is a native herbaceous wildflower in the aster family. In nature it is found in the clay soils of woodlands, forest openings, grasslands, and along roadsides in the Piedmont areas of North and South Carolina. Once endemic to these areas, it is now listed as an endangered species by federal and North Carolina state agencies. This plant is one of the rarest species of sunflower in the United States and is not recommended for home landscapes. This plant grows best in well drained soil with full sun. However, it does tolerate sandy and clay soils as well as dry soils. It does not do well in full shade. The plant has tuberous roots and can spread quickly. No known diseases or insect pests. This plant spreads by tuberous roots and grow out of control.
