Perennial Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Golden-yellow blooms from midsummer into fall on tough plants that handle drought, clay, and part shade. Butterflies and goldfinches work it constantly.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A native sunflower that blooms consistently from midsummer into fall regardless of conditions. golden-yellow flowers, excellent for cutting, and goldfinch-essential seed heads.
Oxeye Sunflower blooms hard, long, and dependably from midsummer into fall: bright golden-yellow flowers on tough, upright plants that ask for very little and give a great deal. The flowers are fully double-rayed with a raised central disk that makes them look like small, genuine sunflowers, and a healthy plant in July will be covered in blooms that butterflies, bees, and goldfinches work constantly. Cut flowers last beautifully in a vase. It's genuinely forgiving of average conditions: moderate drought, clay soil, partial shade. It adapts and still performs. Plant it mid-border or in a naturalized meadow where its height and golden color create a mid-summer anchor. One of the most reliable native perennials for consistent summer performance with minimal care. Spreads moderately by rhizomes over time in favorable conditions.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown perennial sunflower propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft · 24–36 in wide
- Bloom time
- July–September
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America. open woods, prairies, roadsides from Ontario to British Columbia south to Georgia and New Mexico
Care notes for perennial sunflower.
Plant in full sun to part shade in average, well-drained soil. Drought tolerant once established. Deadhead spent flowers to extend the bloom period and prevent excessive self-seeding. Cut back by one-third in late June to produce a bushier, more compact plant with delayed peak bloom. Divide every three to four years in spring to maintain vigor. Leave seed heads through fall for goldfinches.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside perennial sunflower.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.