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9 Beautiful Sunflowers You Still Have Time to Plant
There’s still time for one more round of cheerful blooms in most of the country. Here are some of the most beautiful sunflowers to plant.
If you thought your flower garden was starting to wind down, not so fast! There’s one more flower you can plant for fast results before the first frost: sunflowers!
These iconic flowers have an undeniably old-fashioned beauty and charm. “Sunflowers are appealing to all gardeners due to being one of the easiest and most rewarding flowers to grow,” says Ezekiel Coppersmith, quality assurance manager and horticultural expert with Eden Brothers. “Their dramatic blooms make a big impact in any garden and floral arrangement.”
Sunflowers also extend the season for you and your backyard wildlife. “Many annual flowers begin to fade by late summer and a fresh planting of sunflowers brings vibrant color to a garden that might be fading,” says Coppersmith. “It also fills a gap for pollinators that depend on a nectar and pollen source once those annual flowers begin to fade.” Sunflowers are a valuable food source for many birds such as finches, chickadees, and cardinals, too.
By midsummer, you still can plant sunflowers in most of the country. Gardeners in USDA Zones 6 to 10 (find your zone here) have plenty of time to grow these cheery plants. Sunflowers take roughly 55 to 100 days to mature, so plan accordingly. In more northern zones, choose a quick-growing variety.
“A good rule is to count backwards from your average last frost date and choose a variety that will mature 15 days before that date,” says Coppersmith. You also can succession plant for blooms well into late fall in some more southern regions.
Ahead, here are some of the most beautiful sunflowers to plant in your garden now:
Moonshine
With pale yellow petals and a deep, dark center, this is the classic sunflower with a twist. Its cheery coloring makes it a delight in any garden.
Strawberry Blonde
With burgundy to pinkish petals with pale yellow tips and dark centers, these eye-catching sunflowers belong in your garden for late-season color. They are pollenless, so they won’t drop on your furniture or tablecloth.
ProCut Red
Deep red petals with a brown center make this a stunning one-of-a-kind sunflower. It also matures quickly in 50 to 60 days, so you have plenty of time for planting. It’s also pollenless.
Teddy Bear
With a name this cute, you have to grow this sunflower! Teddy Bear reaches a petite 3 feet tall in the garden. Its fuzzy-looking flower head gives this sunflower its adorable name. It’s a branching variety that will yield flowers that are 3 to 5 inches wide.
SunFillTM Purple
You’ve never seen a sunflower like this one! Developed so that ornamental sepals wrap the flower face, the petals are green and fade to purple. It’s best harvested for bouquets as it tends to lose its appeal if left too long in the garden.
Taiyo
Taiyo is an heirloom sunflower with classic good looks: golden petals around a chocolate center. The large flower head makes a stunning addition to bouquets.
Desert Sun
Pale yellow petals with a burgundy ring make this sunflower a stellar choice for cutting gardens. This branching variety has strong stems for bouquets, or leave it in the garden for an eye-catching display.
StarburstTM Greenburst DMR
If you want to mix it up, this charming shaggy-headed flower has semi-double flowers with golden petals and a green center. It’s a great cutting flower for adding interest to any bouquet.
Ring of Fire
This branching heirloom variety has gorgeous yellow petals that darken to red toward the center. The strong side branches yield plenty of flowers for cutting, or leave them to delight your pollinators.
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