A tall and large, fast-growing annual with oval to heart-shaped, roughly hairy green leaves. In summer it produces a wonderfully large sunny yellow flower with a chocolate brown centre. Great for seeing who can grow the tallest and attracting bees and seeds that follow provide food for finches
Annual sunflowers are fast growers and can reach a height of 2m or more in just three months.
For best results, grow your sunflowers in rich soil in open ground, in a sunny, sheltered spot, and water and feed frequently.
Sunflowers bloom from summer to autumn. Depending on the variety, annual sunflowers take 11-18 weeks to flower from seed. With that in mind, it's a good idea to sow sunflower seed every couple of weeks, so you'll have a constant supply of cheerful blooms throughout summer.
The best time to plant sunflower seeds is between April and May. You can sow sunflower seed as late as mid-June but bear in mind they take up to 18 weeks to flower from seed so they may not flower before autumn.
