Yahoo Lifestyle Add Sunshine to Your Garden with These Stunning Sunflower Varieties
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Sure, they may look imposing, towering down at you over the other plants, but sunflowers are among the easiest annual flowers a gardener can grow. All you need, really, is a bright sunny space, a bit of water to start them off, and that’s it! They’re one of the plants that every beginning gardener should try.
New to growing sunflowers? Read our guide to help ensure sunflower success!
There are many wonderful sunflower varieties, in colors from the lightest yellow to the deepest almost-black red. And they come in sizes ranging from short enough to fit in pots on your back porch to ones that, at 15 feet or taller, you could almost sniff the blooms from an open second-story window.
While you might think that sunflowers get their name from the way the flower looks about as big and round as a sun (and even looks like a kid’s drawing of a sun), in fact there’s another, more interesting connection that these giant golden plants have with our closest star: Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means “sun-following.” If you watch a sunflower carefully you may notice that it turns to face the sun throughout the day. In fact, their scientific name, Helianthus, translates to “sun-flower” in Latin!
‘Ring of Fire’ Sunflowers
These super popular heirloom sunflowers are a must-have for many gardeners. Growing up to five feet tall, their beautiful bi-colored petals fade from deep red at the bottom to bold yellow at the tips, giving the flowers a ring of red around the seeds. Pollinators love these.
Keep Reading: How to Make a Pollinator Garden That Actually Works
‘ProCut Red’ Sunflower
If you’re looking for something both surprising and beautiful, consider planting a few of these long-blooming beauties. The deep burgundy-red sunflower is shockingly dark, in some lights appearing nearly black.
Keep Reading: 17 Black Flowers to Add Offbeat Charm to Your Garden
‘Maximilian’ Wild Sunflowers
Looking for something a little less tame? This American native wild sunflower is easy to grow—it’s perennial in practically all hardiness zones, and will happily grow in pots or sunny spots wherever you sow the seeds. Growing up to 8 feet tall (but often shorter) it makes a lovely low-effort cut flower.
Keep Reading: 10 Ideas for Growing a Wildflower Garden
Topolino Sunflowers
These super cute dwarf-sunflowers grow just one to two feet tall. They bunch well and make a great border flower, with plenty of summer blooms! You can grow them in containers as well.
Keep Reading: More Yellow Flowers We Love
‘Sunny Bunch’ Sunflowers
If you’ve got a smaller yard, or want to try growing sunflowers in containers, give this variety a try! Capping out at 3 feet tall, these bright yellow flowers look beautiful, and can be sown and grown all summer long!
Keep Reading: 55 Container Gardening Ideas
‘Crimson Blaze’ Sunflower
This striking red sunflower grows between five and six feet high, with a sturdy stem, and makes a beautiful cut flower for vases!
‘Snack Mix’
It’s easy to get so caught up in the beauty of sunflowers, that one looses the other reason to grow them: for food! This well-named variety has extra large, easy-to-crack seeds. It grows shorter, just 5 feet, to make harvesting easier. But watch out for birds, or they’ll steal your harvest before you know it!
Try a Recipe: Cilantro and Sunflower Seed Dip
Skyscraper Sunflowers
These traditional sunflowers are categorized as tall sunflowers and can grow up to 12 to 14 feet tall. Skyscraper sunflowers have thick stalks and can produce 14-inch flower petals.
Sunforest Mix Sunflowers
Looking to create a forest of sunflowers? This variety is your best bet. Sunforest Mix sunflowers can grow between 10 to 15 feet tall. When planting, leave about 3 feet of space between seeds so that roots have space to grow.
American Giant Sunflowers
The most popular variety of sunflowers used in growing competitions, American Giant sunflowers can grow up to 15 feet tall with faces about 1 foot wide. Their stems are chunky and sturdy to support the sunflower’s heavy head.
Mammoth Sunflowers
The height of Mammoth sunflowers ranges from about 9 to 12 feet tall. These sunflowers are popular with pollinators like bees and butterflies and animals like birds and squirrels who like to eat their seeds.
Schweinitz’s Sunflowers
One of the rarest types of sunflowers, Schweinitz’s sunflowers were named about Lewis David von Schweintz, a botanist who discovered the species in the early 1800s. They can grow to be about 6 feet tall.
Sundance Kid Sunflowers
Sundance Kid sunflowers were one of the first species of dwarf sunflowers. They grow between 1 to 2 feet tall and have petals that fade from red to yellow.
Little Becka Sunflowers
Known for the orange “halo” effect of their petals, Little Becka sunflowers are a dwarf sunflower variety that grow to about 1 to 2 feet tall. They’re perfect for growing in smaller garden planters or boxes.
Suntastic Yellow Sunflowers
With bright yellow petals and dark brown centers, Suntastic Yellow sunflowers can grow to about 20 inches tall. They love to grow in packs so you can expect to see 5 to 8 flower faces blooming from each stem.
Teddy Bear Sunflowers
The fluffy petals of the Teddy Bear sunflowers are what gives this variety its charming name. These sunflowers can grow to about 2 feet tall, and their edible petals can be fun to use for salad toppings or cake decorating.
Pacino Sunflowers
These bright yellow beauties grow to about 12 to 16 inches tall and produce multiple flowers from a single stem. Pacino sunflowers are perfect for adding to cut flower bouquets and summer flower arrangements.
Moulin Rouge Sunflowers
One of the most sought-after colored sunflowers, Moulin Rouge sunflowers grow to about 4 feet tall. They’re known for their burgundy red petals that are resistant to fading from the sun.
Strawberry Blonde Sunflowers
For a multicolored sunflower, try planting Strawberry Blonde sunflowers, which can grow to about 5 feet tall. The petals fade from a creamy white into a reddish-pink closer to the center.
Chianti Sunflowers
As one of the darkest sunflowers, Chianti sunflowers are known for their deep red wine colored petals. They grow to about 4 to 6 feet tall, produce multiple flowers per stem, and are pollen-free.
Italian White Sunflowers
Growing to about 5 feet tall, Italian White sunflowers are a favorite among bees and butterflies. Their petals are more slender and less crowded than traditional sunflowers and boast a creamy color.
Earthwalker Sunflowers
These autumn-hued sunflowers will make a great transition into your fall garden. Earthwalker sunflowers grow to between 6 to 9 feet tall and have petals with dark, earthy hues like brown, red, and gold.
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