Sunflower Classic Gold
Helianthus annuus
Packet: 10 seeds
Pollen-free hybrid, untreated seed
Please note - natural variation: Sunflowers are living plants, and blooms grown from the same packet can differ a little in petal colour, shape, height and flowering time. These traits are also shaped by your soil, temperature, sunlight and any other sunflowers growing nearby, so some natural variation from plant to plant is normal and to be expected.
Classic Gold is the sunflower most people picture: a single strong stem topped by one large, forward-facing bloom of yellow to yellow-orange petals around a dark centre. Plants stand around 1.2 to 1.4m and, being pollen-free, drop no pollen to stain a tablecloth or trigger allergies, which makes them a clean, long-lasting cut flower as well as a cheerful garden sunflower.
Sowing
Sow seeds direct about 15 to 20mm deep once the soil has warmed above 15°C, or raise in pots and plant out before the roots wind around. Germination takes 7 to 14 days. Space plants about 30 to 45cm apart.
When to Sow - Australian Climate Zones
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Cool & Mountain: October to December
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Temperate: September to January
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Subtropical: August to February
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Tropical: April to August (dry season)
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Arid & Semi-arid: September to December
Care
Grow in full sun in free draining soil. At 1.2 to 1.4m stake the plants in an exposed spot, as a summer storm can flatten a tall row. Water deeply while the plants are growing away, then ease off once established, and feed fortnightly with a seaweed solution rather than heavy nitrogen, which only builds leaf at the expense of flowers.
Harvest
Expect the first blooms from about 68 to 78 days. For the vase, cut the stem just as the petals lift away from the centre, early in the morning; being pollen-free, the flowers last well and stay clean indoors.
