Description
Helianthus annuus | Common Sunflower ‘Sunspots (Variegated) (Not to be confused with ‘Sunspot’, a short green-foliage sunflower)
LIMITED RELEASE. ONE PER CUSTOMER.
The sunflower genus includes around 70 species, of which Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower) is the most commonly seen in the average garden.
‘Sunspots’ sunflower is an EXTREMELY RARE variegated annual sunflower variety that came from the United Kingdom. Plants grow anywhere from 4-7 feet tall, each with a single bright yellow flower head 4-7 inches in diameter, followed by smaller flower heads that form lower on the stalk. But the truly unique feature about ‘Sunspots’ Sunflower is the splashes of yellow color on the green foliage. For any variegated plant-lover, these are a must have!
Will tolerate drought and poor soil, but performs much better with soil amendments and extra water. Because of the variegated leaves, ‘Sunspots’ sunflower could benefit from light/dappled shade during the hottest days of the summer sun.
All kinds of birds, bees, beetles, butterflies, and a myriad of other pollinators are attracted to the flowers. Once the seeds are mature (or even before), finches, jays, and other birds will start snacking on them, so you will need to harvest the flower heads before they do! The seeds are small and in size and black with orange-tinted white stripes
This is one of the most noticeably unique sunflowers out there and we are excited to be one of the only companies currently listing them!
*Please note that all ‘Sunspots’ seeds will NOT grow into variegated leaf plants— some will be solid green and others will be fully albino and will not survive, so plant plenty of extras to find the variegated ones. Approximately 33% of plants are variegated. We only collected seeds from plants that had variegation that went all the way up into the flower-head.
Type: Annual
Sun exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 4-7 ft
Mature width: 1-2 ft
Hardiness zones: All (annual)