Titan Sunflower Seeds

You get one packet of seeds, with the sowing instructions printed on the back. Soil, pot and accessories are not included, so this is not a complete growing kit.

• 20 Titan sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus)
• Grows up to 4 metres tall
• Blooms up to 40 cm in diameter
• Pollen-free cultivated form, also suitable for people with allergies
• Flowering mostly from July to October
• Annual plant
• Minimum seed shelf life: 2 years

Sow between March and June, either straight into the garden bed or into a container filled with garden soil. In a container, allow 2 plants per 35 cm of pot diameter so that they do not compete for nutrients. Keep the soil evenly moist: in warm temperatures the seeds germinate within 1 to 2 weeks.

Titan wants full sun, right from the young plant stage. Its water needs are high, so daily watering is the best approach in summer. From April to September, feed it weekly with a liquid fertiliser for green plants.

What looks like a single flower is in fact a pseudanthium made up of as many as 15,000 individual florets. The buds follow the sun from east to west and turn back towards the east at night, while sunflowers in bloom mostly face the sunrise.

The nectar contains up to 35 % sugar around midday. That draws in butterflies, bumblebees and bees, along with predatory insects that eat aphids and other pests nearby. The kernels are high in unsaturated fatty acids and are a popular roasted snack in Russia, Turkey and Spain. The sunflower originally comes from North and Central America, where it was grown 4,000 years ago along the Mississippi and in Mexico, and Spanish sailors brought the first seeds to Europe.

Titan also works well as a cut flower: strip all the leaves from the stem apart from the top 2 or 3, and it will last longer in the vase. Leave faded sunflowers standing through the winter, as they provide food for seed-eating birds.

As a small gift, the packet suits Mother's Day, a birthday or a spring visit to friends who love their garden. Since the seeds keep for at least 2 years, you can hand them over even when the sowing season has just passed.

How many seeds are in the packet? The packet contains 20 Titan sunflower seeds.

When and where do I sow the seeds? Best between March and June, straight into the garden bed or into a container with garden soil in a spot with full sun.

How tall does the Titan sunflower grow? It reaches up to 4 metres in height, and the blooms grow up to 40 cm across.

Does it also work in a container on a balcony? Yes, with a large container: 2 plants per 35 cm of pot diameter and full sun.

Is the variety suitable for people with allergies? Titan is a pollen-free cultivated form, which makes it suitable for allergy sufferers too.