Exploring the Different Types of Sunflowers

There is no clearer indication that summer has arrived than a flower garden blooming with sunflowers. At Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, you can find a wide variety of sunflower seeds that will brighten up your garden with their iconic, vibrant yellow look. 

Whether you are looking for small sunflowers to add a little splash of colour or sunflowers that tower over your garden, you can find all the flower seeds you need at Mr Fothergill’s. In this blog, you will discover all the sunflower varieties we have at Mr Fothergill’s and just how many varieties of sunflower there are.

For a comprehensive guide to growing sunflowers, including how to grow them and when is the best time to sow them and harvest, be sure to check out our how to grow sunflowers guide after you discover the ideal sunflower seeds for you below!

Sunflower Types and Varieties

Sunflowers are arguably the most cheerful flowers you can add to your garden, but with such a wide selection available, how can you make the right decision? 

We’ve created a handy chart to help you choose the perfect sunflower quickly and easily.

Variety/Quality	Pollen Free	Pollinator Attracting	Tall >60cm	Dwarf <60cm	Unique Colour	Double Bloom	Single Headed	Multi-headed
Little Gardeners Giant Sunflower		Y	Y				Y
Supernova F1	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y
Golden Prominence F1	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y
Lemon Bling F1	Y	Y		Y	Y			Y
Lemon Striker F1	Y	Y	Y		Y			Y
Royal Velvet F1	Y	Y	Y		Y			Y
Double Delight F1	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y
Dwarf Sunsation	Y	Y		Y				Y
Dwarf Eos	Y	Y		Y				Y
Giant Single		Y	Y				Y
Solar Flash F1	Y	Y		Y	Y			Y
Sumo Sunny F1	Y	Y	Y					Y
Teddy Bear		Y		Y		Y		Y
Double Dazzler		Y	Y			Y		Y
Microsun F1	Y	Y		Y				Y
Tall Timber F1	Y	Y	Y				Y

 

There are lots of sunflower varieties out there which serve different purposes. Let’s explore some of them in detail.

Pollen-Free Sunflowers

Pollen-free sunflowers are great for those who experience hay fever but want bright, cheerful blooms in their garden. 

The flowers themselves will still attract some bees and butterflies to your garden as they produce nectar, but they won’t make all that pollen that sends your sinuses into meltdown. Pollen-free sunflowers can also be a benefit if you intend to use your sunflowers as cut flowers because pollen dust can stain or make a mess indoors. 

There's still plenty of choice for pollen-free varieties, including dwarf or tall plants and double or single blooms.

Pollinator-Attracting Sunflowers

Pollinator-attracting sunflowers invite bees, butterflies, and birds into the garden and provide a valuable food source from the pollen inside the blooms. Attracting pollinators into your garden is a great way to ensure crops like tomatoes, citrus plants, and pumpkins are pollinated, which is necessary for fruiting. 

All sunflowers attract butterflies and bees due to their large yellow blooms, and even pollen-free varieties produce nectar. However, to provide bees with the pollen necessary to make honey, opt for a pollinator-attracting variety that is not pollen-free.

Dwarf and Tall Varieties

Just as it sounds, there are both tall and dwarf sunflower varieties available, but why would you want to grow dwarf sunflowers?

Dwarf varieties are great for filling pots and containers, creating borders on garden beds, or forming a nice mass display to cover an area of a bed. Some dwarf varieties are so compact they can even be grown in a smart indoor garden. Taller varieties are great for planting along fence lines, creating a screen, or for a tall floral display at the backs of your garden beds. 

You could even grow dwarf varieties at the front and taller varieties at the back for a cheerful, multilayered display of sunflowers.

Unique Colours

When we think of sunflowers, our mind immediately thinks of giant yellow blooms, but there are many shades of yellow and even red varieties of sunflowers that can add a splash of extra colour to your garden displays. 

Some varieties, such as Lemon Bling and Lemon Striker, feature a softer yellow colour, while Sunflower Royal Velvet, Golden Prominence, and Solar Flash show deep red and bronze flowers. Some sunflowers have deep brown centres, while others have green or yellow centres.

Single, Double, and Multi-Headed Blooms

Sunflowers can surprise us with a sense of achievement when they grow super tall and burst open with one giant flower at the top of their long stalks, but what if you wanted more than one flower? 

Surprisingly, most sunflower varieties are multi-headed, which means they’ll either bloom all over with big blooms or produce one main bloom, followed by multiple, smaller secondary blooms. A few varieties will also grow multiple layers of petals, creating fluffy-looking flowers such as the Sunflower Teddy Bear, Double Dazzler, and Double Delight varieties.How Many Varieties of Sunflowers Are There?

How Many Varieties of Sunflowers Are There?

Sunflowers are among the most popular flowers in the world. Native to North and Central America, they now grow worldwide, with at least 70 different recorded varieties. Sunflowers belong to the Helianthus genus and can be grown for various reasons. 

Some grow sunflowers for the seeds that are a popular snack, while some varieties are grown to accentuate the beautiful colour and size of the flower head. When you think of sunflowers, you picture the yellow flowers that resemble a sun around the head of the plant, but sunflowers can grow their blooms in many different colours, including red, orange, or white. 

What Is the Tallest Sunflower Variety?

The tallest variety of sunflower is the Helianthus annuus or Giant Single Sunflower. These monstrous flowers can grow upwards of 4.5 metres. The tallest sunflower ever grown was measured at a staggering 9.17 metres. To properly calculate the sunflower's height, scaffolding was put in place and the local fire department was consulted to measure it. 

What Is the Biggest Sunflower Variety available at Mr Fothergill’s Seeds?

At Mr Fothergill’s, we have a selection of tall sunflowers that you can grow in your garden. Whilst it’s unlikely they will reach the heights of the world record, you can still grow some tall sunflowers that will tower over your fence!

The Sunflower Tall Timber F1 and Sunflower Giant Single are the tallest sunflowers in our range, growing up to three metres tall. 

Are Sunflower Seeds Edible?

We often get questions about edible sunflower seeds. The most common is, "Are sunflower seeds edible?" The answer is a resounding yes! Sunflower seeds are perfectly fine to eat and also have some great health benefits.

The best variety to provide the most sunflower seeds is our Sunflower Giant Single Seeds. Most varieties of sunflowers will produce edible sunflower seeds, with the exception of pollen-less sunflowers, which will not produce mature seeds.

Whether you eat them toasted, add them to your cooking or baking, or eat them raw, edible sunflower seeds make a healthy addition to any balanced diet and contain antioxidants, including vitamin E and selenium, among many others. 

Sunflower seeds are great for heart and skin health. They contain fatty acids that reduce dry skin and healthy fats that can help lower blood pressure. They are packed with fibre and can also help boost your energy levels, making them the perfect snack to power you up during those busy days in the garden!

Shop Sunflower Seeds at Mr Fothergill’s

If you are ready to bring some vibrant, easy-to-grow flowers to your garden, then there is no better place to shop for sunflower seeds than Mr Fothergill’s. We have all the sunflower varieties you could want to make your garden gloriously bloom, from small potted plants to towering sentries and everything in between.

You can find our sunflower seeds online or at all good garden centres and major hardware stores nationwide. For more advice on growing flowers and all kinds of seeds in your garden, be sure to visit our garden advice blog for helpful tips.