Days to Maturity: 55 to 65

Plant ‘Midnight Rouge’ Sunflower Seeds in spring, and in summer, it blooms in large 3- to 6-inch flowers with rich burgundy rays around a deep brown center. Borne in small clusters on stiff, course stems, the exquisite flowers continue over a long season and last a long time in a vase. Be sure to cut sunflowers in the early morning to encourage longer-lasting blooms.

Although ‘Midnight Rouge’ Sunflowers are a towering, elegant, and architectural presence in the garden, this multi-branching variety is not too tall to add to the back of a bed or border in a cottage, informal, cutting, or wildlife garden, where the flowers beckon to bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects, and the tasty seeds bring the birds flocking.

A hardy annual, sunflowers are fast-growing, tough plants, both heat tolerant and pest resistant, including deer. But consider planting with chives. The onion scent helps deter aphi