40 Different Types Of Sunflowers You’ll Want In Your Garden

Sunflowers aren’t just yellow and tall—they’re surprisingly diverse, with each bloom offering a touch of joy, warmth, and personality. Whether you’re an experienced gardener, a curious flower lover, or just browsing for a new bouquet favourite, exploring the different types of sunflowers can feel like stepping into a sunflower wonderland. 

From giant varieties that tower over fences to petite ones that fit perfectly on a windowsill, there are more kinds of sunflowers than most people realise.

Let’s take a friendly walk through the many faces of this beloved flower. Here's your sunflower guide to 40 different kinds of sunflowers you might fall in love with.

1. Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The classic sunflower we all picture—tall, golden, and proud with bright yellow petals and a deep brown centre. This type can grow up to 12 feet and is often used for seeds, bird feed, and stunning garden backdrops.

2. Teddy Bear

Compact, bushy, and delightfully fluffy, the Teddy Bear sunflower looks like a golden pompom. It grows just 2 to 3 feet tall and produces double blooms, making it ideal for children’s gardens, patios, or container displays.

3. Italian White

This elegant variety offers creamy white petals paired with chocolate-brown centres, giving a subtle and graceful appeal. It grows up to 5 feet tall and creates a beautiful contrast when planted among bold-coloured sunflower types.

4. Moulin Rouge

Bold and dramatic, Moulin Rouge sunflowers flaunt deep burgundy-red petals with velvety textures. These pollen-free blooms reach about 4 to 6 feet and are a top choice for upscale floral arrangements and romantic gardens.

5. Lemon Queen

Light yellow petals and dark centres make Lemon Queen a sunny delight in any space. Not only does it attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, but its sturdy 5 to 7-foot stems also make it a lovely addition to wildflower gardens.

6. Autumn Beauty

With blooms ranging from bronze to gold, rust, and even purple, Autumn Beauty lives up to its name. It produces multiple flowering heads on branching stems and grows up to 7 feet tall, perfect for creating a lively, seasonal display.

7. Velvet Queen

Velvet Queen sunflowers are rich in colour with deep reddish-maroon petals and a dark chocolate centre. They can reach 5 to 6 feet tall and add dramatic flair to gardens, especially when contrasted with lighter sunflower types.

8. Strawberry Blonde

A true pastel wonder, Strawberry Blonde sunflowers shift from soft rose to lemon-yellow at the tips. This variety blooms in just 60 days and stands about 5 feet tall, offering a gentle, romantic twist for bouquet lovers.

9. Chianti

Chianti sunflowers are unique for their deep wine-red to nearly black blooms and lack of pollen. Growing to about 4 to 5 feet, they are popular in cutting gardens and pair well with white or soft-coloured flowers in arrangements.

10. Ring Of Fire

This standout flower features bright yellow tips fading into a bold red ring encircling a dark centre. It grows around 4 to 5 feet and flowers later in summer, bringing a hot burst of colour to borders and beds.

11. Sunrich Orange

Sunrich Orange is a florist’s favourite due to its clean, symmetrical shape and vivid orange petals. Pollen-free and blooming on a single stem, it grows up to 5 feet tall and holds up beautifully in vases without dropping pollen.

12. ProCut Gold

Known for its fast bloom cycle and clean appearance, ProCut Gold sunflowers feature golden-yellow petals surrounding a dark disc. With no pollen and a sturdy stem, it’s frequently used by florists for its vase life and minimal mess.

13. Earthwalker

Earthwalker brings warm, autumnal tones in bronze, copper, and reddish-brown petals, adding rustic charm to any setting. The plant grows tall, up to 9 feet, and produces several flowers per stem, creating a rich tapestry of earthy shades.

14. Taiyo

Taiyo is a classic Japanese sunflower with bright golden-yellow petals and large, dark centres. It grows tall—often 6 feet or more—and is known for its strong stems and uniform blooms, ideal for both ornamental and seed use.

15. Pacino

This dwarf sunflower variety grows to just about 12 to 16 inches but produces multiple bright blooms per plant. It’s a cheerful, space-saving option perfect for balconies, indoor windowsills, or small container gardens.

16. Dwarf Incredible

Despite its name, Dwarf Incredible is a mighty bloomer in a compact size, typically reaching just 2 to 2.5 feet tall. It still produces large, classic-looking yellow flower heads, making it ideal for small gardens and tight spaces without sacrificing impact.

17. Big Smile

Big Smile sunflowers live up to their name, bringing vibrant cheer in a compact, 12-inch-tall package. These quick bloomers are great for pots or border edges, and their sunny faces are perfect for gifting or brightening up children’s garden projects.

18. Little Becka

This sunflower features fiery orange and deep red petals with a golden-yellow halo—an almost flame-like display on a compact plant. It only grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and is brilliant for planting in front-row beds or colourful floral arrangements.

19. Music Box

Music Box offers a charming variety of pastel-coloured sunflowers with soft yellow, cream, and light rose tones all blooming on a single, bushy plant. It reaches about 2 feet tall and produces multiple branching stems, making it a floral favourite for decorative beds.

20. Arikara

Arikara is one of the oldest cultivated sunflower types, originally grown by Native American tribes for food and cultural use. These heirloom sunflowers grow tall—up to 12 feet—and produce massive seed heads that are excellent for birds or harvesting.

21. Sunforest Mix

The Sunforest Mix is an excellent choice if you’re looking for height and boldness, as some plants can stretch up to 14 feet. These sunflowers create a natural green screen or floral “sunforest,” with large heads and strong stems for a stunning visual wall.

22. Claret

Claret sunflowers are rich and moody, featuring burgundy-red petals that border on wine purple. They grow up to 6 feet tall, are pollen-free, and make excellent statement pieces in both garden beds and dramatic bouquet settings.

23. Prado Red

Prado Red is a rare beauty with burnt orange and rusty red tones, sometimes accented with subtle gold edges. This variety grows about 4 to 5 feet and produces multiple heads, offering an exotic sunflower twist that pairs well with ornamental grasses and late-summer blooms.

24. Evening Sun

Evening Sun lives up to its poetic name, showcasing blooms in sunset hues—deep gold, burnt orange, and warm reds. It reaches up to 6 or 7 feet and blooms in succession on multi-branching stems, making it ideal for a continuously colourful garden.

25. Indian Blanket

Named after the vibrant patterns of traditional woven blankets, Indian Blanket sunflowers feature warm yellow tips fading into a rich, reddish centre. The plants are mid-height at around 4 to 5 feet and thrive in warm climates, offering both beauty and heat tolerance.

26. Buttercream

Buttercream sunflowers offer a gentle touch with soft, pale yellow petals that almost glow in the sunlight. Growing up to 5 feet tall, they bring a calming elegance to garden borders and blend beautifully with both bold and pastel blooms.

27. Infrared Mix

The Infrared Mix is a stunner for lovers of drama and contrast, boasting rich red, maroon, and purple hues across its multi-branching blooms. These sunflowers reach about 4 to 6 feet and make an excellent backdrop for lighter flowers or a deep-toned bouquet.

28. Joker

Joker sunflowers have an eye-catching, multi-layered look with double rows of bright yellow and deep red petals. With their bold personality and strong stems, they reach up to 6 feet and are a striking choice for centrepieces or lively garden accents.

29. Sundance Kid

This compact variety stands just around 1 to 2 feet tall but delivers big on colour with burnt orange centres and golden petal tips. Sundance Kid is ideal for edging walkways or filling smaller spaces with a rustic, cheerful vibe.

30. Soraya

Soraya is one of the first branching sunflower varieties to win awards for garden performance. With sturdy, upright stems and bright orange petals, it grows about 5 to 6 feet tall and blooms abundantly—making it a favourite among gardeners and florists alike.

31. Zohar

Zohar sunflowers are known for their golden-orange petals, strong stems, and smooth, dark centres that give a clean and polished look. With a height of 5 to 6 feet and a pollen-free design, they’re perfect for long-lasting vase displays and clean indoor use.

32. Starburst Lemon Aura

Starburst Lemon Aura features fluffy, double-layered petals in a soft lemon-yellow shade, almost like a cross between a sunflower and a dandelion. This variety grows around 4 to 5 feet and adds a textured, whimsical look to both gardens and arrangements.

33. Double Dandy

Double Dandy is as playful as its name suggests, with layered pinkish-red petals and a bold yellow centre. This smaller sunflower reaches 2 to 3 feet and adds personality to garden beds, patio pots, or floral gifts that break the sunflower norm.

34. Manitou

Manitou is a fast-maturing, pollen-free sunflower favoured by commercial growers and florists. It stands tall at around 5 to 6 feet and produces uniform, clean blooms perfect for event décor or bouquet-making without the mess.

35. Topolino

Topolino is a dwarf sunflower variety with large, classic blooms packed into a compact plant only 10 to 12 inches high. It’s ideal for tabletop planters, balconies, or anywhere you want sunflower cheer without the height.

36. Kalpa

Kalpa is a robust, seed-producing sunflower with strong stems and vibrant yellow petals. Often used for oil production, it grows up to 6 or 7 feet tall and produces large seed heads suitable for harvesting or attracting birds.

37. Plum

Plum sunflowers are rare and elegant, flaunting dusky maroon and deep plum petals with a velvety finish. At about 4 to 5 feet tall, they work beautifully in moody floral arrangements and create contrast when paired with cream or white blooms.

38. Valentine

Valentine sunflowers bring a softer side to the garden, with pale yellow petals and smaller, more delicate flower heads. They grow up to 5 feet tall and are perfect for romantic bouquets or adding a gentle tone to sunny borders.

39. Joker Mix

Not to be confused with Joker, the Joker Mix includes a variety of bold, bicolour blooms in yellow, red, and orange combinations. With their branching nature and 4 to 6-foot height, these sunflowers keep your garden looking lively and varied all season long.

40. Solar Flash

Solar Flash sunflowers shine with a fiery gradient—deep red centres that burst into bright yellow petal tips. They grow around 5 feet tall and bloom in just 60 to 70 days, offering a dramatic finish to any summer garden lineup.

Why Sunflower Variety Matters

Different types of sunflowers offer different experiences—some are built for beauty, others for bouquets or oil production. Whether you want towering backdrops for your fence or a splash of brightness on your kitchen table, there's a sunflower out there that fits the bill. Each variety brings something special, whether it’s the colour, height, petal shape, or bloom pattern.

If you’re gifting, creating an arrangement, or just planting something cheerful, knowing the kinds of sunflowers available helps you make the perfect choice. And if you’re looking to brighten someone’s day in Singapore? You already know where to go.

Conclusion About Different Kinds Of Sunflowers

From bold giants to delicate minis, these 40 different kinds of sunflowers prove there’s more to this flower than meets the eye. Each bloom brings its own sunshine and personality, just like the people receiving them. 

So, whether you're decorating your home, picking the perfect bouquet, or planning a garden upgrade, sunflowers are always a heartwarming choice.

And if you're after fresh blooms arranged with thought and flair, Singapore Florist, with the best florist in Singapore, is here to make your floral moments truly unforgettable. Brighten someone’s day—start browsing our collection of sunflowers today!

Frequently Asked Questions About Different Kinds Of Sunflowers

What Are The Most Popular Types Of Sunflowers?

The Common Sunflower, Teddy Bear, Lemon Queen, and Moulin Rouge are among the most popular for gardens and bouquets.

Is There A Sunflower That Stays Small?

Yes, dwarf varieties like Pacino, Big Smile, and Dwarf Incredible are ideal for small spaces and pots.

Are There Types Of Sunflowers That Don’t Shed Pollen?

Absolutely! Varieties like Sunrich Orange and ProCut Gold are pollen-free and perfect for allergy-sensitive individuals or clean arrangements.

What Colours Can Sunflowers Be?

Besides yellow, sunflowers can be red, orange, burgundy, pinkish-red, and even creamy white or near-black, depending on the variety.

Do All Sunflower Types Follow The Sun?

Not all. Young sunflowers display heliotropism (following the sun), but mature heads usually face east.

Can I Grow Different Sunflower Types In The Same Garden?

Yes, you can mix tall, dwarf, and colourful varieties together for a diverse and lively garden look.