If you love giant flowers and want to find the biggest out there, you’ll want to know about the Titan sunflower.
This variety is truly enormous, giving you all the sunflower vibes and then some!
Read on to learn all about the Titan sunflower, what it looks like, and where to find seeds to grow your own.
What is the Titan Sunflower?
Sunflowers are usually known for their size, but this is among the largest sunflower varieties you can find.
The Titan sunflower is an heirloom variety that can reach heights of over 12 feet, with blooms up to 2 feet in diameter. Their edible seeds are also huge, about the size of a dime.
This behemoth sunflower has the quintessential bright yellow petals with an orange or dark brown center. The thick, strong stalks have large green foliage all the way down.
Should You Grow Your Own Titan Sunflowers?
You absolutely should! This is a great flower to grow for both experienced gardeners and beginners.
Despite their size, Titan sunflowers grow fast, reaching maturity in just 75 days from planting.
They attract all kinds of beneficial pollinators to your garden, such as butterflies and bees.
Once the flower heads are spent and dried you can harvest the seeds and roast them as a tasty and healthy snack. You can also leave them out and let the birds enjoy them.
Grow just a few or plant a forest of sunflowers. With their immense height and blooms, you’ll feel like you escaped into another world.
Choosing and Preparing the Perfect Spot
The key to growing the perfect Titan sunflowers is finding the right place for them.
Like their relatives, they do best in full sun and are drought and heat tolerant.
When you’re preparing your garden, choose soil that drains well. Add fertilizer to make sure you’re giving your flowers all the nutrients they need to reach their full potential size.
If you plan to use irrigation to water your Titan sunflowers, lay your tubing or tape down before planting.
Since these flowers are so large, make sure they have plenty of space. Leave 2 to 3 feet between rows and at least 6 inches between seeds. You’ll need to thin them out as they get bigger.
Their size also means they could use some support, so it’s helpful to plant them along a fence and tie them to posts when they start to get tall.
Titan sunflowers work nicely as a barrier, border, or to make a sparse area look more decorative and colorful.
If you tend to get strong winds in your area, consider picking a place for them with a wind block such as up against a building.
Starting Your Seeds
Sunflower seeds do well either sown directly into the ground or started inside and transplanted. If you decide to transplant, you can start your seeds a bit earlier in the season in seed trays.
Either way, wait to put them outside until after the last frost as they are definitely warm-weather plants.
Gently push each seed about half an inch into the soil and lightly cover them. Keep the soil moist so the outside of the seed can soften up enough for them to sprout. They will usually germinate in 10 to 14 days.
For transplants, once the seedlings easily come out of the tray they’re ready to plant outside.
Nurturing Your Titan Sunflowers
While they are tolerant of drought conditions, it’s best to keep your Titan sunflowers watered regularly.
You can either water them daily from your garden hose or set up an irrigation system. Mulch can also help retain moisture.
Weed regularly so weeds aren’t drawing nutrients away from your flowers.
Because they get so tall and the heads are so enormous, it’s a good idea to stake them as they get big. While Titan sunflower stalks are very sturdy, they’ll still benefit from extra support for the weight of the heads and against strong winds.
Ready to Harvest
It might seem like Titan sunflower heads just keep growing and growing, but before you know it they’ll be ready to harvest!
You can let the heads dry on the stalks before harvesting the seeds or cut and hang them to dry.
Leave them for the birds either still on the stalk or string the flower head up outside as a natural bird feeder all your local feathered friends can come feast on.
Make sure you get your hands on some of the seeds. They’ll come in handy next year since Titan sunflowers are annuals that will need to be replanted each year. You can also roast them for a healthy snack from your own garden.
The stalks are very thick and strong, so you’ll need a sharp knife or large garden shears to cut through them cleanly.
Where to Find Titan Sunflowers
Titan Sunflower Seeds
Your best bet for getting your hands on these giant sunflowers is to grow your own from seed. Hoss Tools is a great place to get started with high-quality Titan sunflower seeds.
Fresh Titan Sunflowers
This variety is so big that you won’t find them in grocery stores or florist shops. They aren’t a flower that you’ll see in bouquets because only one would fit!
If you want a bloom either cut or for seeds, your best bet would be to find neighbors or local farms that grow them.
It’s a fun way to bring birds to your yard if you can find flower heads to bring home.
The Titan Sunflower Lives Up to Its Name
The size of these gorgeous sunflowers is so impressive you’ll want to grow them again and again.
Your house will be the envy of all your neighbors as they drive by your colorful garden with the biggest sunflowers they’ve ever seen!
And you can’t go wrong with roasting your own fresh sunflower seeds harvested from your Titan sunflowers.
Who knew there were so many unique sunflowers? Learn about them all on our Sunflower Page!
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Hope Schwartz-Leeper is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things nature with degrees in English and Philosophy.
Born and raised in the Northeast, Hope has always had an affinity for spending time outside. Growing up and attending college in New York, then living on Cape Cod and finally settling in Rhode Island has given her plenty of experience with the climate and environment of these areas.
She loves growing her own food and plants and is always trying to grow something new. She’s hoping her apple trees will one day bear fruit, but for now she’s excited about anything that comes from the garden.