ALL PREORDER SPECIES ARE STILL GROWING IN OUR GREENHOUSE - Please note all orders containing preorder species will be held until all plants in your order are ready to pickup or ship. If you would like available plants sooner please make two separate orders.
Light
|
Full, Partial
|
Moisture
|
Medium-Wet to Medium
|
Bloom
|
Late Summer
|
Color
|
Yellow
|
Height
|
8 FT
|
Tall sunflower, true to its name, can grow up to 12 feet tall when grown in full sun and moist soil. It spreads by self-seeding and through rhizomes, forming large clusters. The tall, sturdy stems are purplish, mostly unbranched, and covered in hairs. The leaves are alternately arranged lances up to seven inches in length. The flowers which bloom in late summer reach two to three inches across and are composed of dark yellow centers of disk florets surrounded by 10-20 light yellow ray florets.
Due to its large size and ability to spread readily, tall sunflower is not suited to small, formal plantings. However, This species supports an abundance and diversity of wildlife and therefore makes a wonderful selection for restoration efforts in wetland or tall prairie settings. Tall sunflower’s buttery blooms attract myriad groups of bees, as well as flies, butterflies, and beetles. Its leaves, stems, and roots are enjoyed by a staggering diversity of insect life including various groups of beetles, bugs, and grasshoppers, and the larvae of various flies, moths, and butterflies such as the gorgone checkerspot, silvery checkerspot, and painted lady. Many types of birds eat tall sunflower seeds throughout the fall and winter. Some of these birds include the mourning dove, white-winged crossbill, eastern goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse, bobwhite quail, and various sparrows. Moreover, its seeds are eaten by rodents, its foliage is eaten by larger mammals, and its tall stalks are even occasionally used by beavers in dam construction.
