Ruby Eclipse is a beautiful branching plant, producing an abundance of ruby red and lemon tipped bi-coloured flowers. The flowers colours vary in shades, the lightest ones being the nearest to pink that you can get.
The plant itself has wonderfully sturdy main stem and will branch from the top producing a few blooms at a time on the plant. The first flower typically will be the largest being 20 to 25cm (8 to 10in).

Sunflower prefer full sun throughout the day, but can be planted in part shade. If Ruby Eclipse receives less than eight hours of sunshine a day, the blooms will be a little darker, especially if it is receiving more morning sun and less late afternoon sun. The plants don’t get as bushy in part shade as they do in full sun but they are still good strong plants.

The flowers are pollenless and are perfect for cutting and will last about a week as long as you cut the bud just as its opening in the morning and scald the cut stem in boiling water. An excellent sunflower that we would recommend to anyone.

Sowing: Sow indoors in Feb-April, outdoors in May

Starting in pots:
For early flowers, start indoors as early as February or March, to germinate in about 10 days at 28 to 30°C (60 to 65°F). Plant out in April or May.
Use 7.5cm (3in) pots and a good sowing compost. Sow one seed 2.5mm (1in) deep per pot. Water and either cover with polythene or bubble plastic to retain the heat, or place pots on a heated bench or in a propagator with the temperature set at 13°C (55°F).
Remove the covers when the leaves appear. Plant seedlings outside when they are large enough to be handled and the root system is well developed. Add garden compost to the soil if it is heavy or infertile.

Direct planting:
Plant outside as early as possible to miss heavy frosts, to germinate in about 1 to 3 weeks. Sow seed 5cm (2in) deep and spaced 45cm (18in) apart in borders. Water seedlings regularly and, when growing tall forms, feed sparingly with a liquid fertiliser when 60cm (2ft) high. Avoid splashing water or fertiliser solution on the stems or leaves.

Beware of slugs when they are still young plants and birds stealing the seeds.

Cut flowers:
For continuity of blooms, sow a succession of sunflowers every fortnight for six weeks in the early part of the growing season. In a hot summer, each cycle from sowing to blooming will take about 60 days.
Pick flowers early in the day, but wait until the sun has dried the dew. Remove leaves that are low on the stem, leaving just two or three higher up, near the flower's face. Place the flowers in a bucket filled with water, and leave them to stand for several hours in a cool room before placing in a vase. Change the water every few days. Blooms can last up to a fortnight when kept in water.

Plant Uses:
Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower Arranging, Flowers Borders and Beds or Wildflower Gardens, Children