Maximilian Sunflower

Growing Maximilian Sunflower

Spreads by rhizome into a tall colony: superb as a seasonal screen, too vigorous for a small bed. Goldfinches and quail strip the seed.

Where it belongs

Maximilian sunflower is native to the Plains, Texas, and the western Midwest, growing in prairie, along roadsides, in old fields, and on the edges of grassland. It is named for a nineteenth-century European prince who traveled the upper Missouri River.

It differs from the annual sunflower most people picture. That plant has one huge head on one stem and dies at the end of the year. This is a perennial that lines dozens of medium heads along the upper two thirds of each arching stem, so the effect is a wall of gold rather than a single face.

Growing it

Full sun, dry to medium soil, in loam, clay, or sand, zones 3 to 9. Five to eight feet.

It grows fast and it spreads by rhizome into a colony, and that is the fact to decide about before planting. In a small bed it will take over within a few years. Along a fence line, at the back of a large planting, or as a seasonal screen, the same behavior is the point: it makes a solid eight-foot wall of foliage by August that disappears entirely in winter.

Lean soil and full sun keep it upright. In rich ground the stems get heavy and lean under their own seed.

Cutting the stems back by half in early June produces a shorter, stiffer, more branched plant that flowers slightly later. In a windy site this is worth doing.

What it feeds

The bloom lands in late August through October, when much of the Plains has gone dry and brown and there is little else in flower.

Bees work it heavily, and it is a significant late nectar and pollen source for bumblebees building next year's queens. Migrating monarchs feed on it moving south through the middle of the country. Sunflower specialist bees collect its pollen.

The seed is the second act. Goldfinches, quail, doves, and sparrows strip it through fall and winter, and a stand in December is one of the better bird feeders you can grow.

Living with it

Deer browse the young growth in spring; established colonies outgrow it.

It is grown as a forage and conservation planting as well as an ornamental, and seed is widely available and cheap.

Leave the stalks standing all winter for the birds. Cut back in early spring and pull rhizomes at the colony edge then, when the boundary is easy to see.

Sources: USDA PLANTS Database (native range); Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin (species profile); USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (plant guide, forage and wildlife value).

It’s drought-tolerant, showy, and fast-growing.

Where it grows

Maximilian Sunflower is native to the Great Plains. In the wild you’ll find it across Arkansas · Colorado · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Michigan · Minnesota and 15 more states. Always confirm it suits your specific county with your state native plant society before planting.

Regional Garden has written state guides covering Maximilian Sunflower in 25 of them so far.

Good for