Buy Mexican sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch': Delivery by Waitrose Garden

Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch'

Mexican sunflower

Eventual height & spread

Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch'

Mexican sunflower

approx 100 seeds
£2.79
In stock (delivery within 2-3 working days)

Delivery options

Seed Packets (only) £2.99
Named Day £10.99

Position: full sun
Soil: well-drained, moderately fertile soil
Rate of growth: average to fast
Flowering: July to October
Hardiness: half-hardy annual

An erect, branching annual with rounded, lobed leaves and bright orange to scarlet flowerheads, that burn brightly from midsummer until the nights begin to draw in. ‘Torch’ is a great hot border companion for dahlias, achilleas helenium, and is a ‘cut-and-come-again’ variety that benefits from staking.

Tithonia thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and benefits from regular watering, especially during dry spells, though established plants tolerate short dry periods. Feed lightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser every few weeks to encourage continual flowering, and deadhead spent blooms to prolong the display.

For early season colour sow under glass onto moist well-drained seed compost and cover lightly. Seedlings, which appear shortly, can be potted up and left to grow for several more weeks, hardening off before planting out with a 50cm spacing once frosts are passed.

Alternatively, sow directly outside once frosts are passed in a well-prepared bed with plenty of incorporated organic matter. Germination can take 7-21 days. Thin to 50cm spacing and stake if the garden is particularly open or exposed. Deadhead to encourage branching and longer displays.

Sow: March to April (under glass) or May to July (direct)