812-217-7207
reseednursery@gmail.comPerennial • $6, 4-inch pot
| Height | 2 to 4 ft |
| Spacing | 12 inches |
| Sun Exposure | Full to Part Sun |
| Soil Moisture | Medium to Dry |
| Bloom Color | Yellow |
| Bloom Time | July, Aug, Sept |
| Companion Plantings | Purple Prairie Clover, Tennessee Coneflower |
| Special Attributes |    |
Helianthus occidentalis
Most of our native sunflowers are aggressively rhizomatous and will quickly overwhelm small spaces – but this species is a wonderfully tame exception! Western Sunflower grows mainly as a small rosette of leaves and will send up a flowering stem 2 to 4 ft tall by mid-summer. Many short and long tongued bees pollinate this plant, some of which are oligolectic, meaning they only feed on this plant and possibly others in its genus. Other pollinator visitors include flies and the occasional butterfly.
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) are not only beautiful long-bloomers but provide many ecosystem services, being host to nearly 70 butterfly and moth caterpillars in the Kentuckiana area and serving as an important seed source for many songbirds, including Goldfinch, many sparrows, and the Mourning Dove.
Place this plant in the front row of a border garden or among smaller, less aggressive plants as its small stature makes it incapable of tolerating competition from other more robust prairie plants.
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