Mexican Sunflower “Torch” Tithonia
$3.00
This easy-to-grow orange behemoth blooms late in the season, attracting migrating Monarch butterflies. It's perfect for mass plantings in tough spots in the garden since it thrives in poor soil. This plant can grow quite large, so it's best to place it in the back of your border.
JOY MAX QUALITIES:
Easy-to-grow and fun for kids
Food source for migrating monarch butterflies
Huge orange wall of flowers. Attracts all sorts of pollinators and hummingbirds
Great in the heat. Very hard to kill. Tolerates infertile soil and neglect.
Open-pollinated
Quantity:
Planting Information: Direct seeding is best after last frost. Sow once soil temperature is 70-85°F. Barely cover seeds as light is required for germination. Tolerates poor soil. Flowering doesn’t occur until late summer but then it puts on a big orange show. Harvest flowers for cut bouquets when they are 90-100% open. Stand in deep, warm water for several hours. Deadhead plants to prolong flowering.
Tithonia rotundifolia GROW ZONES: 4-9 SEED DEPTH: Surface sow when temps are warm. Thin to one plant when true leaves appear. GERM: 7-14 days at 70-85°F SOIL: Loamy or sandy, well-drained soil of low to moderate fertility. Too much nitrogen will reduce blooms. SUN: Full sun MATURE SIZE: 60-72" They get very tall and bushy. Plant in the way back or as a summer hedge. SPACING: 12-24" DAYS TO MATURITY: 85-90 Days
