Hardy Annuals

Great big fluffy golden heads the size of a dinner plate. This whopper of a sunflower has the same stunning densely packed yellow petals as the beloved dwarf 'Teddy Bear' sunflower but on a far larger scale. They make excellent cut flowers, long lasting and are very impressive in a vase.

If you like well-branched, free-flowering, traditional sunflowers that are not too tall, 'Holiday' is the one you've been looking for. At 120cm (4ft) tall, with golden yellow petals and dark centres, it bears armfuls of cheery 15 to 20cm blooms. Irresistible for cut flower bouquets and for a large garden planting.

Helianthus ‘Ikarus’ is a fairly recent introduction, but one that has started to make huge waves. This premium pollenless sunflower has a unique habit, they are basal branching, resulting in masses of primrose-yellow blooms each with glorious dark chocolate-brown hearts. They grow 90 to 120cm (3 to 4ft) tall.

Giant Sunflower 'Mongolian Giant' is a true giant reaching up to 420cm (14ft) tall with one of the largest flowering sunflower seed heads available, up to 45cm (18in) across. One of the largest-seeded sunflower varieties available to gardeners, the plants are ideal to grow to provide food for birds to eat over-winter.

Lighter than orange and darker than yellow, Helianthus ‘ProCut Peach' is the latest colour to be added to the series, a beautiful warm, pale yellow hue that shimmers towards the peach-coloured range. It produces perfectly shaped, single pollenless blooms. Sow mid spring to mid summer for continuous blooms.

Helianthus 'ProCut Plum' is an elegant sunflower with petals the most delicious mix of soft colours. Café-Au-lait lightly brushed with dusky bronze-crimson. In the vase it mixes well with other blooms in bronze and reddish tones. Just 60 to 65 days to maturity, sow mid spring to mid summer and cut when the petals begin to unfurl from the face

Helianthus 'ProCut Red' is a stunning new dark addition to this widely grown series. Flowers are a deep, rich rusty-red, one of the best dark colours on the market. Dark chocolaty centers gradually give way to ruby ringed petals that fade to a lighter tip. Sow mid spring to mid summer for continuous blooms.

An exciting addition to the ProCut line, ‘White Lite’ produces tall, ivory-petaled flowers with golden centres. This blonde beauty is sophisticated enough for use in wedding flowers and sturdy enough for market bouquets.

Helianthus annuus 'ProCut White Nite' is a professional, pollenless cut-flower variety that is used by florists all over the world. The cream petals mature to white and contrast beautifully with the dark brown centre. They plants are uniform and vigorous in growth even under low temperatures.

Looking a little like a solar eclipse, ‘Ring of Fire’ is a dark centred sunflower that blooms with glowing red petals that gradually flare outwards to golden-yellow tips. Growing to a manageable 100 to 120cm (3½ to 4ft) tall with a branching habit, the flowers are pollenless. It is considered one of the best varieties for use as a cut flower.

Helianthus annuus 'Ruby F1' has a dark centre is surrounded by a dense array of rich deep ruby-red petals that form large 15cm (6in) flowers, on plants that are 150cm (5ft) tall. Suitable as a bouquet flower, cut the flowers as soon as all the petals unfurl. sown directly where they are to grow, they are very easy to grow and fast to flower.

Helianthus ‘Solara’ is a professional quality sunflower and one of the longest lasting cut flower varieties available. A pollenless, uniflora type that grows to around 130 to 150cm tall. It has a dark centre, surrounded by a dense array of rich golden yellow petals that form large 15cm flowers.

A new introduction that can be grown for use as a patio plant or as a cut flower. Early blooming and growing to just 100cm (3ft) with golden-orange petals and dark brown centres 'Sonja' produces a spray of flowering side branches that surround the main stem. Durable in the garden and long lived in the vase.

Sunflower 'Soraya' is the first Sunflower ever to win an AAS award. It produces lovely rich tangerine-orange flowers with dark brown centres The vigorous, self-supporting plants stand 150 to 180cm (5 to 6ft) tall. Prized for cut flower arrangements, they produce 20 to 25 flowers from each plant.

With most sunflowers, the beauty is in the flower petals, but the multi-layered, green outer calyxes of Helianthus 'Sunfill Green' create the show. This fast growing annual source of cut fillers for bouquets produce geometric flower heads for use as bouquet greenery. Sow successionally, mid spring right through to mid summer.

Helianthus 'Sunfill Purple' is a novel purple sunflower with sumptuous dark centers and petals tipped with edged hints of purple. These fast-growing sunflowers produce geometric flower heads for use as bouquet greenery. Just 50 days to maturity, sow successionally, mid spring right through to mid summer.

Helianthus ‘Vanilla Ice’ is one of the prettiest sunflowers varieties available. With clusters of delicate pale creamy-yellow flowers with dark chocolate centres this compact variety grows to just 120 to 150cm (4 to 5ft) tall is suitable for the border or can be left add a naturalised charm to a wildlife friendly garden.

Iberis umbellata 'Rose-Cardinal' is quick to grow and is in bloom within two months from a spring sowing. Extremely easy to grow, they are invaluable for underplanting and for use in rock gardens and containers. They are considered one of the best plants grown for edging purposes.

Iberis umbellata is a popular and easily-grown annual plant that is perhaps more versatile than you might imagine. Considered one of the best for edging purposes, they are also invaluable for underplanting, for rock gardens and containers. Easy to grow and fast to flower, this fragrant hardy annual will quickly cover any unsightly bare spots in the garden.