Teddy Bear Sunflower

(Toledo, OH) This has been something of a banner year in my yard for the variety of sunflower known as the Teddy bear sunflower. I planted two packets of these seeds, perhaps totalling three dozen seeds in all, and the propagation rate was quite high: I suspect that 80 to 90 percent of these seeds germinated.

The delicate flowers of the Teddy bear sunflower are quite elegant, almost looking as though they would be appropriate for a formal occasion, like being worn on prom dresses. The flowers are also quite hardy, and they grow well in full sun to partial shade conditions.

These sunflowers, moreover, attract quite a variety of pollinating insects, and I saw quite a few interesting butterflies and moths lighting on the blossoms.