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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Asteraceae (Sunflowers) |
| Origin: North America |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Fall |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 6-8 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: < 0 °F |
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Helianthus giganteus (Giant Sunflower) - A native American herbaceous perennial that produces a several unbranched to few branched slightly hairy reddish square stems up to 8 feet tall that arise from the rhizomatous and spreading base and hold 3 to 5 inch long narrow lanceolate green leaves that undulate slightly with crenate margins. In late summer appear the small 3 inch wide bright yellow sunflowers consisting of 10-20 yellow rays and held in loose clusters at the branch ends. In fall as the flowers fade the drying seed heads are interestingly attractive. Plant is full sun to light shade and give little to regular irrigation - the more you water the bigger it gets. Cut to the ground in late fall or early winter. Hardy into zone 4 (<-20). This wild plant is attractive and fun in the garden. It stays fairly constrained in gardens that are kept fairly dry but where is gets regular irrigation it can be fairly aggressive and spreading, so in irrigated gardens is best where it has room to roam in the back of a border or deep in the meadow. This plant is native to the eastern United States and eastern and central Canada, from Newfoundland west to Alberta south to Minnesota, Mississippi, and South Carolina where it typically is found in valley bottoms in moist soil or wet meadows. We received this plant from John Greenlee and it has grown in our garden for several years - all who see it in the fall are impressed with its tall snaking stems bearing cheery yellow flowers.
This information about Helianthus giganteus displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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