Annuals & Biennials

Helianthus
sunflower

- Height 2-10 ft (60-300 cm)
- Planting distance 1-11/2 ft (30-45 cm)
- Flowers late summer to early fall
- Well-drained garden soil
- Sunny site
- Hardy annual

Sunflowers usually conjure up the image of a solitary yellow flower gazing down to earth from the top of a stem 10 ft (300 cm) high, sparsely clad with huge bristly leaves. Fortunately for owners of small gardens, not all sunflowers are this tall. A number of lower-growing cultivars of Helianthus annuus, with more foliage but equally spectacular blooms, are now available. They offer a large variety of flower forms - double as well as single - and come in varying shades of yellow, orange, red, and cream. Sunflowers look best grown at the back of a border. They also make extremely attractive temporary screens.

Popular species and cultivars
The following is a selection of the most popular annual sunflower cultivars.
'Italian White' has cream flowers with black central disks and gold zones. The plants reach 4 ft (120 cm) high.
'Lemon Queen' has classic lemon-yellow, brown-centered flowers suitable for cutting. It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall.
'Music Box Mixed' is low growing, to 28 in (70 cm) high, with medium-size flowers that range from yellow and cream to mahogany-red, with black centers.
'Orange Sun Double,' about 31/2 ft (105 cm) high, bears fully double apricot-orange flowers.
'Queen Series' sunflowers bear deep velvety red or lemon-yellow, 4-5 in (10-12.5 cm) wide blossoms on 5 ft (150 cm) high stems.
'Russian Mammoth' has large single yellow flowers (reaching 1 ft/30 cm wide) and grows 10 ft (300 cm).
'Sunburst Hybrids' have crimson, gold, bronze, and lemon flowers. These branching cultivars reach 4 ft (120 cm) high.
'Sunspot,' only 2 ft (60 cm) high, has 10 in (25 cm) wide golden yellow flowers with huge yellow-green centers.
'Teddy Bear' is a dwarf cultivar 2 ft (60 cm) high, with double golden blooms.

Annuals
and
Biennials