Sunflower 'Taiyo' Seeds

'Taiyo' is the sunflower as a child would draw it: one strong stem carrying a single big, flat head of golden-yellow petals around a dark chocolate centre. Helianthus annuus 'Taiyo', whose name means sun in Japanese, is a Japanese heirloom that reaches about 1.2 to 1.5 m, tall enough to look over a fence and sturdy enough for a big pot in a sheltered spot. Cut the heads for a vase, watch the bees work the open centres, or leave them to ripen so the birds can clear the seed in autumn.

Sowing and growing

• Sow indoors in individual pots in March or April, or outdoors where they are to flower in April and May.
• Sow about 1.5 cm deep; thin or space plants 45 cm apart.
• Germination takes 10 to 14 days.
• Full sun, in well-drained soil. Stake plants in exposed gardens.
• Grows to about 1.2 to 1.5 m tall and 40 cm wide; a 40 cm pot will hold one plant.
• Flowers in summer, from about July.
• Hardy annual: sow fresh each spring.

What you receive: a packet of about 150 seeds from Piccolo Seeds, with growing instructions on the back.

Browse our full range of flower, herb and vegetable seeds, find more summer-flowering plants, or plan a border of plants for pollinators.