RHS Teddy Bear Sunflower Seeds

Deadheading has lots of benefits: not only does it keep your garden looking tidy, but it encourages multi-headed/branching varieties of sunflowers to produce more blooms. Giant Singles, however, will not produce more blooms, but deadheading can still be useful to prevent self-seeding. Cut them just above the nearest set of leaves to the bloom. Alternatively, you can leave the bountiful seed heads for finches and other wild birds to feast on in autumn.

Teddy bear sunflowers are most likely to die from overwatering or lack of drainage. Overwatering encourages root rot, which prevents the roots from taking up enough moisture to support the plant/flower, giving the appearance of underwatering and encouraging the gardener to water them more–a vicious circle. Check your sunflower’s soil by poking a finger into it to check for moisture below the surface before watering if so.

Yes, you can save seeds from teddy bear sunflowers by allowing the flowers to mature fully and dry before harvesting the seeds from the centre.