Sunflower, Mammoth Russian

Annual. Easily grown in average, moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates poor soils that are on the dry side. Plant seed in the garden after last frost date. Plants grow so rapidly that there is little reason to start seed indoors. Taller varieties should be sited in locations sheltered from strong winds. Plant foliage often depreciates as the summer progresses. Removal of browned and tattered plants from the garden after bloom may improve the appearance of the landscape, but is a great disappointment to local bird populations that love to feed on the seeds. If the plants must come down, consider saving the seed heads for feeding the birds in winter. Harvest seed from favorite plants for use the following year (some cultivars will not reliably come true from seed however). Helianthus annuus is native to dry plains, prairies, meadows and foothills in the western U. S., Canada and northern Mexico. It is a coarse, hairy, leafy, fast-growing annual that typically grows 5-10’ tall on stiff upright stalks. The species is a somewhat weedy plant that is now commonly seen growing along roads, fences, fields and in waste areas west of the Mississippi River