Full Summer Sunflower is a compact cultivar of Helianthus annuus bred for continuous blooms throughout the warmest months. Unlike towering varieties that demand staking, this sunflower stays manageable in height while delivering the same cheerful, sun-tracking flowers gardeners crave. Direct sow into warm soil once temperatures reach 55°F, space plants just 3 inches apart, and watch them flourish in full sun with minimal water demands. The tight 30-inch row spacing makes it efficient for cutting gardens or mass plantings where you want maximum impact from minimal space.
3
Full Sun
Low To Moderate
2-11
?in H x ?in W
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High
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This compact sunflower thrives on neglect once established, needing deep but infrequent watering to encourage strong root systems and sturdy stems that won't flop over. The dense planting density of just 3 inches between plants allows you to create bold drifts of color without the sprawling footprint of standard sunflower varieties. Cut the central flower head as soon as it opens and the plant responds by producing a cascade of side-shoot flowers, extending your harvest window through late summer.
Full Summer Sunflower excels as a cut flower, where its compact habit and prolific side-shoot production make it especially valuable for gardeners who want continuous stems for arrangements rather than single statement blooms. The gray and white striped seeds are edible and worth harvesting and salting for snacking once they mature.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds in the garden as soon as soil warms to at least 55°F. Plant at a depth of 1 inch and space seeds 3 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart. Germination occurs quickly in warm soil.
For cut flowers, harvest in the early morning just after the blooms open, using a clean knife to ensure a clean cut that resists disease. Change the vase water regularly and add a few drops of chlorine bleach to keep stems fresh longer. For seeds, allow the flower heads to mature on the plant until the bracts begin to shrivel, then cut the heads and hang them upside down in a dry shed or barn to cure completely. Once fully dry, rub the seeds off the heads; for eating, choose the gray and white striped varieties and soak overnight in 1 gallon of water with salt before drying for storage.
Cutting the mature central flower head as soon as it opens will promote robust side-shoot flower production, extending your blooming season and giving you multiple stems per plant rather than a single large bloom. This technique transforms a single-flower plant into a multi-stemmed cutting garden workhorse.
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