Giant Sunflower – Facts, Grow and Care Guide
Giant Sunflower is one of the largest and showiest of the perennial sunflowers you can grow in your garden. Just when you think the only flowers left to bloom are purple asters…….. and then BAM. All of a sudden you are treated to a huge display of golden yellow flowers that seemingly explodes seemingly overnight. Also known as Tall Sunflower, this is a perennial sunflower and member of the Daisy Family. 
Facts
- Long bloom time – Giant Sunflower can bloom for 1-2 months late in the season
- Giant Sunflower is host to several varieties of butterfly.
- Helianthus Giganteus is native to North America, from Minnesota, South along the Mississippi River to the state of Mississippi. And then East to the Atlantic Ocean.
- This plant is hardy from zones 3-9, check your USDA garden zone here.
Physical Description
As the common name would imply, it is BIG. Helianthus Giganteus will grow 8-10 feet (2.5-3 m) tall in optimum conditions, in and open meadows of prairie in moist conditions. They are easy to grow and establish, and will form a large clump several feet in diameter when mature.
Stalk / Stem
The purple/red stalk won’t have branches except near the top, where several stems will form. White hairs will be present on it.
Leaves
There will be pairs of alternate leaves that are narrow and lance shaped. The leaves will be serrated and slender, being about 4-7″ long and approximately 1″ wide. The leaves feel kind of rough and have small hairs on them.
Flower
Each stalk will produce several flowers about 3″ diameter, give or take. They resemble the ‘sun’, and are daisy-like. They are a really bright and prominent shade of yellow. You can expect the blooms to last for a month or two, depending on conditions. 
Root
The root is fibrous, and has rhizomes. A single plant will form a small colony with these rhizomes, and crowd out nearby neighbors. My ‘single’ mature plant is now a 3′ diameter colony.
Growing Conditions
Giant Sunflower like well drained moist soil and full sun. The more sun and moisture (but well drained), the taller/larger the plant will get. The final size of this plant is heavily dependent on the combination of soil, sun, and moisture. With the more sun/moisture meaning larger plants. It’s natural habitat is moist meadows, woodland clearings, and moist prairies.
How to care for the Giant Sunflower
The location you choose to grow this plant will be the single greatest factor in how much care will be required. Giant Sunflower can be adapted to environments that aren’t the most suitable, if you put in the work to recreate its optimum conditions.
In general though, if you choose an open location that has a lot of sun exposure (6-10 hours) and moist soil, it won’t require any maintenance.
Maintenance
If this plant is exposed to lots of wind, the stems will be strong. That will mean that by the time the blooms open, the flower won’t want to droop or flop over. Another alternative is to stake the plant. And finally, you can pack it in a dense backyard microprairie, where the stalks can be supported by other nearby grasses and flowers. I’ve done this with Big Bluestem, False Sunflower, and a volunteer Late Boneset. So, even though the stalks of my plant are well over 8′ tall, they hang down to about 6′ tall as they lean against these other plants. So, I still get to enjoy the flowers, pollinators, and birds – but no work is required on my part.
And finally, another trick to ‘flowers that flop-over’ is to just trim them earlier in the year. This works well with Asters and other species. All you do is cut the flower back by half its length a month or two before it blooms. For example, if you trimmed this flower back to 2′ tall in early June, you would lower the final stalk height significantly, making the stem stronger and better able to handle the weight of the flowers.
Watering may be required if this plant is located in an area that is prone to drought.
How to Establish
Growing Giant Sunflower from seed is probably your best option for getting it into your garden. To do this, plant seeds 1/2″ deep in the garden in late Fall. Or, winter-sow the seeds in pots. You can also cold/moist stratify the seeds for at least 4 weeks prior to planting.
The key thing is that if you order seed online, make sure you plant them soon after you receive them. These seeds should be stored in a sealed, refrigerated container.
How to Save Seed for Helianthus Giganteus
The birds absolutely love to eat the seed. So you need to get there before them. As soon as flowers fade, put an old nylon, or some kind of fine-mesh bag over the flower heads and tie it off. Then after the seed heads have dried, store the seed in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Reference Table
| Giant Sunflower Reference Table | |
| Common Name | Giant Sunflower, Tall Sunflower |
| Scientific name | Helianthus giganteus |
| Bloom Time | Late Summer, Early Fall |
| Bloom Duration | 3-6 weeks |
| Color | Yellow |
| Bloom Size | 3” diameter, daisy like flowers |
| Characteristics | Multiple blooms perstalk, near the top |
| Height | 8-10’ (2.5-10 m) |
| Spacing/Spread | 4-6’ (1.3-2 m) |
| Light Requirements | Full sun |
| Soil Types | Well drained |
| Moisture | Moist, medium |
| Maintenance | Can require staking if not exposed to wind |
| Typical Use | Wildflower gardens, large meadows |
| Fauna Associations | Bees, seeds eaten by certain birds |
| Larval Host | Silvery Checkerspot, Gorgone Checkerspot, Painted lady |
| Sowing Depth | 1/2”, 12 mm |
| Stratification | Sow in fall, winter sow, or 30 days stratification |
| Native Range | USDA Zones 3-9 |
| Notes | Growitbuildit.com |
Garden Uses
We have this plant in the rear of our backyard micro-prairie. Click below to see how to create your own!
But, this plant is best in an isolated area, or some kind of wildflower garden. I say this because it will form a clump quickly, even in its second year. Due to its height, it must be planted in the ‘back’ of south facing garden, or else it will shade out anything behind it. Also, if not exposed to wind, it will likely flop over, so you need to take steps I outlined previously to mitigate it.
In the end, this plant is big and unruly, and I love it. This is not a plant for a well-manicured flower bed.
Companion Plants
Some strong stemmed neighbors are a good choice for this plant, like Bluestem grasses or the Cup Plant. To make beautiful color displays, try New England Aster, Aromatic Aster, and even Spotted Bee Balm. The purple/pink colors will blend really nice with Giant Sunflower, really giving you a late-season pop of color.
Fauna
Tall Sunflower is a great plant for attracting late season pollinators to your garden. I see many bees, butterflys, and other pollinating insects visit mine. It is a larval host to several butterflies that prefer Helianthus (Sunflowers).
After blooming, this plant will get mobbed by Goldfinches eating the seeds. So, if you want to save seeds – you better get there before the birds! You can use a small netted bag to cover flowers after blooming to save seed.
Pests and diseases
I’m happy to report that deer don’t seem to eat this perennial sunflower! Also, I’ve never noticed rabbit damage so that is great!
For other pests, there are a number of insects that will feed on the foliage and roots. But due to its size, this most likely won’t result in significant damage.
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About The Author
Joe Foster
Hi - I grew up outdoors in nature - hiking, fishing, hunting. In high school I got my first job at a garden center where I learned to garden and landscape. I've been growing plants from seed and designing native plant gardens for over six years. I hope to share some of my knowledge with you! Additionally I am a wood worker / DIY enthusiast. I enjoy designing/building projects (with hand tools when I can!). I hope to give you some tips and useful information!
Practically speaking, how do these differ from maximilian sunflowers (Helianthus maximiliani). They seem to be similar in many respects. I have a very large patch of maximilian sunflowers. What additional advantage would I receive from adding giant sunflowers?
Hi – the main benefit would be having a longer period of time with perennial sunflowers blooming. My Maximilian Sunflowers seem to bloom in mid-Summer, about the same time as the Cup Plant. While the Giant Sunflower blooms very late – August/September. If you have the space, go for it!
In SW Michigan, my Maximilian sunflowers bloom from mid-September to mid-October (right now, in fact), giving pollinators a late source of food. The cup plants near by have long since gone to seed. Only the various asters are still in bloom for the insects. If the giant sunflowers bloom from mid-August to mid-September in zone 5-6, that would help fill in a late-summer gap in blossoms.
Wow – that is a much different bloom time then my Maximillian sunflowers. I may have to try seed from another company to see the variation. But my giant sunflowers just stopped blooming this week, and had started in Mid-September. I am on the border of zone 6/7.
Can I make another suggestion for late bloomers? Neither of these are sunflower, but Blunt Mountain Mint blooms July August here, and is completely covered in Bees during the blooming period.
Also, Spotted Bee Balm blooms very late, Aug-September in Zone 6/7. And in my experience, Aromatic Aster is the latest blooming flower I’ve ever come across. It usually begins when Spotted Bee Balm is on its way out. But I normally have this bloom into November.
None of these species are too large, and are quite versatile.
Thank you for the suggestions for late bloomers. I have two of the three Monarda varieties, but I’m seriously checking out Blunt Mountain Mint and Aromatic Aster. These would be great additions to my natural areas. Your website is a delight to poke around in!