Helianthus angustifolius

Product Info

Narrowleaf Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius)
Aster Family

Narrowleaf Sunflower is a tall, late-blooming perennial commonly found in the southeastern US. It naturally occurs in wet meadows, marshes, ditches, and open bottomlands, but it also adapts well to average garden soils with full sun and consistent moisture. Blooming from October through November, it produces a profusion of bright, yellow flowers that provide late-season nectar and pollen source for a wide range of pollinators. Narrowleaf sunflower supports dozens of native bee species, including several specialist bees. In addition to its role as a pollinator magnet, it is a host plant for the caterpillars of several native moths. After flowering, its seed heads provide a valuable late-fall and winter food source for birds, while its dense stems and foliage offer habitat for insects and small wildlife.In the garden, it can grow 6 to 8 feet tall, sometimes taller in rich soils, and will spread by rhizomes to form colonies. It can be very aggressive in the home garden in ideal conditions. Best planted where aggressive spreading is a desired effect. Can be cut back in mid-summer to promote more floriferous, shorter plants.

• Blooms: Yellow, 4-6 weeks, Oct-Nov
• Leaves: Narrow, rough textured
• Height: 6-8’
• Space:3-4’
• Soil:Moist-Wet-Average
• Exposure:Full sun-Part sun
• Fauna: High value-host plant, food source for specialized bees, seeds for birds
• Seeds: Small brown achenes are food for birds
• Deer Resistance:Medium
• Zone:5-9
• Native Status: NC native, common in the Coastal Plain, uncommon in the Piedmont and Mountains
• Provenance:NC, seed grown