The Joker Sunflower

seeds

1g: $3.15; Item: 5512-A
2g: $4.50; Item: 5512-B
10g: $12.00; Item: 5512-C
40g: $23.00; Item: 5512-D

Helianthus annuus
(60 days) F-1 hybrid.

Annual. If your sunflowers need a New Deal, add this Joker to your deck. Joker is a bicolored pollenless beauty with two rings of petals. An interior short yellow fringe resembling eyelashes radiates from the brown disk and accentuates the big orangy-maroon yellow-tipped outer petals. Rated among the best and showiest sunflowers for cutting by horticulturalists at the University of Florida. Mottled red stalks grow 5–7' with multiple branching. ~22 seeds/g.

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Quick Details

Hybrid Status: F-1 hybrid
Days to Maturity: 60 days
Lifecycle: annual
Bloom Color: maroon-tipped yellow

Compare

Compare with other Sunflowers
Variety	Product Type	Hybrid Status	Days to Maturity	Lifecycle	Bloom Color
Autumn Beauty Mix Organic	seeds	open pollinated	70-90 days	annual	multi-colored
Evening Sun Organic	seeds	open pollinated	60-80 days	annual	multi-colored
Fantasia	seeds	F-1 hybrid		annual	multi-colored
Florenza	seeds	open pollinated		annual	maroon with yellow
Green Heart	seeds	F-1 hybrid		annual	golden yellow
The Joker	seeds	F-1 hybrid	60 days	annual	maroon-tipped yellow
Lemon Queen Organic	seeds	open pollinated		annual	lemon yellow
Mammoth Grey Stripe	seeds	open pollinated	120 days	annual	yellow
ProCut Red	seeds	F-1 hybrid	55 days	annual	deep red
Moulin Rouge	seeds	F-1 hybrid	65 days	annual	dark red
Ruby Eclipse	seeds	F-1 hybrid	55 days	annual	lemon yellow-tipped ruby red
Schnittgold	seeds	open pollinated		annual	deep yellow
Selma Suns Mix Organic	seeds	open pollinated	63 days	annual	multi-colored
Soraya	seeds	open pollinated	80 days	annual	orange
Summer Sensation	seeds	open pollinated	65 days	annual	yellow
Sunflower Sampler	seeds			annual	multi-colored
Hopi Black Dye Sunflower Organic	seeds	open pollinated	90-100 days	annual	golden yellow

Additional Information

Sunflower

Annual. Sunflower remains have been found in the Tabasco region of Mexico dating back more than 6000 years. Prized for their seeds by humans and birds, and for cutflowers by market growers, sunflowers also add a lighthearted touch to gardens. Sales soared in the spring of 2020. As our facilitator Ann says, “In hard times sunflowers make people happy.”

Culture: Easy to grow. Start indoors 3–4 weeks before last frost at temperatures of 65–75° or direct sow after frost, 3 to a pocket. Thin to best plant, 1' or more apart. Rich friable soil yields tallest plants; drought stunts growth. Will readily self-sow; for some fun leave a few volunteers in strategic locations.

Pollen or pollen-free? Although flower arrangers often eschew sunnies with pollen, Eliza Lindsay of Portland, Ore., speaks for our pollinators: “Sunflowers that produce pollen are my favorite. They feed the bees first and later the birds.” She says to grow sunflowers for cutting and to feed your pollinators, too, you must allow some of the flowers to remain uncut to complete their life cycle. Branching varieties are tops for this purpose since taking cuts encourages branching.

She offers tips for handling harvest and post-harvest for varieties with pollen. “The trick to sell them is to harvest prior to pollination. Once pollinated, flowers begin to senesce. Harvest when the petals are fully colored, clearly visible, but unexpanded and wrapped around the flower head. Harvest with long stems set in clean water in a cool dark place. Change water daily and recut stems as necessary. They will fully open in a few days, produce pollen in the vase, but have a long vase life.”

All varieties have pollen unless noted otherwise.

Flowers

All flower seeds are open-pollinated except where noted.

Days in parentheses after a variety indicate days to first bloom.

Saving Flower Seeds Is Easy!

Almost all the flowers we list are open- pollinated and easy to save seed from. Some types cross readily, but who cares! Save the seeds, plant them, and be surprised.

These flowers are especially easy to save seed from: bachelor’s buttons, calendula, cerinthe, cosmos, love-in-a- mist (nigella), nasturtium, poppy, strawflower, sunflower, sweet pea and tithonia.

Learn more about seed saving.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.

Shipping

From early May through mid-December, items shipping from our garden seeds warehouse ship twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday. For quickest turnaround time order online by noon Monday or Wednesday.