Helianthus annuus, cultivar Teddy Bear.
The sunflower you didn't see coming. To distinguish from its classic cousin, the Black Oil Sunflower, which is the tall structural plant 1.5 to 2.5 m destined for seeds, oil and winter birds. Teddy Bear is the opposite: compact, fluffy, ornamental — perfect for children, balconies and small garden corners.
An ornamental sunflower variety with fully double flowers, Teddy Bear comes from the decorative selections developed by European and North American horticulturalists from the 19th century onwards. The double-flower mutation — where the central florets (normally responsible for seed production) transform into petal-like florets — appears periodically in sunflowers as in many other composite flowers. It is this mutation, fixed and amplified through generations of selection, that gives Teddy Bear its distinctive silhouette: a round, fluffy golden pompom that looks remarkably like a chrysanthemum, or — as its name suggests — like the soft fur of a stuffed bear.
A compact, stocky plant 50 to 90 cm tall, which often branches into several flowering stems rather than a single main axis as in classic sunflowers. Each flower is 12 to 15 cm across, fully petaloid, a uniform warm golden yellow, almost without a visible central disk (unlike the Black Oil sunflower where the large dark central disk is as imposing as the crown of petals). Texture so dense and tufted it feels like a soft ball to the touch. Bloom spread over 4 to 6 weeks, generally from mid-August to late September in Québec.
Use: the sunflower of pure joy. Excellent in garden borders, in wide balcony containers (a minimum of 30 cm diameter per plant), as a potager accent to break up the monotony of greens, or in front borders showcasing taller classic sunflowers behind them. It is also the ideal sunflower for children — flower at child's height, blooms you can hold in one hand, and spectacular growth you can literally follow day by day in mid-season. Excellent in cut flower arrangements for compact, cheerful bouquets — vase life is modest (4 to 5 days) but the visual effect is striking. Note for pollinators: the double flower offers less accessible nectar than the simple sunflower (most nectar-bearing florets have been converted into petals through selection), but bees and bumblebees still visit the remaining florets at the edge of the head, and the plant produces fertile seeds.
Grower's tip: Like all sunflowers, direct sow only — the plant has a taproot that does not tolerate transplanting. Well-worked soil, 2-3 cm deep, once all frost risk has passed (mid-May through late June in Québec — comfortable window, we're still in it). Full sun mandatory (six hours minimum — the name says so). In containers, choose a pot at least 30 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep per plant, rich potting soil, regular watering (pots dry out fast). Flowering 65 to 80 days after sowing. Let a few flowers go to seed at season's end to offer a last snack to chickadees in early winter — fewer seeds per head than on the Black Oil sunflower, but still plenty to delight the birds.
- Open-pollinated. Annual. Insect-pollinated (self-sterile); can cross with other cultivated sunflowers nearby.
- Height: 50 to 90 cm. Branched habit, often several flowers per plant.
- Maturity: 65 to 80 days to first bloom.
- Exposure: full sun mandatory (six hours minimum).
- Moderately rich, well-drained soil. Tolerates poor soils better than tall-growing varieties.
- Direct-sow mid-May through late June in Québec, at 2-3 cm depth. No transplanting possible.
- Excellent in containers: pot minimum 30 cm × 30 cm per plant, rich soil, regular watering.
- Ideal for children's gardens, urban balconies, borders and decorative beds.
