Growing guide

How to grow Helianthus (sunflowers)

Sunflowers (Helianthus), with their familiar large yellow blooms, are easy and fun to grow, for children and adults alike. But why limit yourself to the traditional favourites? There’s a colourful array to choose from, in all sizes, both short-lived annuals and long-lived perennials. Ideal for cheering up summer borders and containers, they’re great for attracting wildlife too.

Save to My scrapbook

Quick facts

  • Easy-to-grow annuals and perennials
  • Long-lasting flowers, large or small 
  • Attract pollinators and seed-eating birds
  • Giant sunflowers can reach over 3m (10ft) tall
  • Dwarf types are perfect for containers
  • Perennial types add height to borders

All you need to know

Before you get started

Perennial sunflowers

  • These vigorous, easy-to-grow plants bloom abundantly throughout late summer and into autumn.

  • As they are perennials, they die down into the ground over winter and re-sprout from the base in spring.

  • Most form large clumps, easily 1.5m (5ft) wide and 2m (6½ft) or more tall, so are ideal for the back of borders and large prairie-style plantings.

  • ​They combine well with tall ornamental grasses and other late-flowering perennials. 

  • Jerusalem artichokes are also a type of perennial helianthus (Helianthus tuberosus), and although grown for their edible tubers, they do also produce small sunny flowers on tall stems in late summer. 

Buying sunflowers 

Annual sunflowers are mainly bought as seeds in spring, and most garden centres stock a large selection. Seeds are also widely available online.

Perennial sunflowers, on the other hand, are sold as plants – as young plants in spring or as more mature plants in larger pots (1–2 litre) throughout summer and autumn. Garden centres often stock popular cultivars such as ‘Lemon Queen’, but for a wider choice try nurseries and online stockists that specialise in perennials. To track down specific species and cultivars, use RHS Find a Plant.
 

RHS guide to choosing healthy plants

RHS guide to choosing healthy plants
Planting
Ongoing care
Pruning and training
Propagating
Problems
While we think all this information will be helpful to you, we always recommend to read the instruction labels on your plants.

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.