Plant record

Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

Sunflowers are not subtle, and thank goodness. Put them where their height can do some good.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusHelianthusAsteraceae
Species anchorHelianthus annuusThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score90/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Direct sow after frost risk eases.

Space-saving method: grow with stake support.

Plant intelligence

Use one square for dwarf types or the north edge for taller stems.

cut flowerpollinatorbeneficial insectvertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: upright annual flower

Height: 24-120 inches

Spread: 12-24 inches

Germination: 7-10 days

Sow depth: 1 inches

Bloom: summer, early fall

Attracts: bees, birds, beneficial insects

Record score

90/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Helianthus annuus in Asteraceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness921 per square with stake support.
Timing and care depth791 planting window, 50F minimum soil, 1 caution.
Species and variety drill-down1003 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificHelianthus annuusFamilyAsteraceaeLookup namesSunflower, Helianthus annuus, annual sunflower

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
92Use one square for dwarf types or the north edge for taller stems. Support: stake.
Season behaviortender
79Direct sow. One main planting.
Care loadmoderate water
74Tall varieties may need shelter from wind. Soil minimum 50F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
90high pollinator value; yellow, gold, bronze, red.
Variety depth3 options
100Dwarf and pollenless cutting types behave very differently; choose by job.

Species and variety notes

Dwarf and pollenless cutting types behave very differently; choose by job.

Teddy Bearcultivar
80small-bed fit

A compact sunflower that can live near the front of a productive bed.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

dwarf, double bloom, container friendly24-36 inches tall
ProCutseries
78small-bed fit

A florist-style series for fast, timed cut stems.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

cut flower, single stem, pollenless50-60 days
Mammothcultivar
62small-bed fit

Only makes sense where height and shade are planned on purpose.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

very tall, seed head, back edge96-144 inches tall

Companions

cucumber, squash, dill, pollinator flowers

Cautions

Tall varieties may need shelter from wind.

External enrichment

Cached name: Helianthus annuus. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides

Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.

Source reference

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