Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

from $13.99

Botanical name: Helianthus annuus‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall‍ ‍ • Bloom color: Golden yellow‍ ‍ • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): gorgone checkerspot, silvery checkerspot, bordered patch, Arge tiger moth, muscosa sphinx, rustic sphinx, Isabella tiger moth, Virginian tiger moth, southern emerald

Everyone recognizes a sunflower, and it's still one of the highest-output pollinator plants you can grow: a single head is hundreds of individual flowers, producing a massive amount of pollen and nectar. It supports specialist sunflower bees that visit almost exclusively, and after flowering ends, the seed head feeds birds for weeks. It also supports more specialist bees than any other genus here: 102 species across the western US.

Botanical name: Helianthus annuus‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall‍ ‍ • Bloom color: Golden yellow‍ ‍ • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): gorgone checkerspot, silvery checkerspot, bordered patch, Arge tiger moth, muscosa sphinx, rustic sphinx, Isabella tiger moth, Virginian tiger moth, southern emerald

Everyone recognizes a sunflower, and it's still one of the highest-output pollinator plants you can grow: a single head is hundreds of individual flowers, producing a massive amount of pollen and nectar. It supports specialist sunflower bees that visit almost exclusively, and after flowering ends, the seed head feeds birds for weeks. It also supports more specialist bees than any other genus here: 102 species across the western US.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus

Common Name: Sunflower

Native: Native

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Summer to fall

Bloom Color: Golden yellow

Pollinators: Bees; Butterflies

Deer Resistant: Not recorded

Mature Size: W 1'-2' x H 4'-8'

Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

Plant Type: Annual

USDA Zones: 2 to 11

Spread Habit: Self-sows

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Western Great Plains; Great Basin; Colorado Plateau (widespread; origin Great Plains)

Host Plant (Elsewhere in North America): gorgone checkerspot, silvery checkerspot, bordered patch, Arge tiger moth, muscosa sphinx, rustic sphinx, Isabella tiger moth, Virginian tiger moth, southern emerald

Growing Notes

Full sun and average garden soil with regular water. The one thing to plan for in Northern Nevada is wind: a tall sunflower in an exposed yard will go over in a summer thunderstorm, so either stake it, plant it against a structure, or choose a sheltered spot. Space about 18 inches apart and sow after the last frost.

Water: Moderate
Sun: Full Sun
Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil, stake in wind
Mature size: W 1'-2' x H 4'-8'

Maintenance

Leave the seed heads standing rather than cutting them; birds will strip them through fall and into winter, and that is most of the value. Pull the stalk once it is spent, or leave a section of hollow stem standing over winter as nesting habitat for small native bees. It self-sows, and the volunteers are usually welcome.