Sunflower Teddy Bear

Helianthus annuus 'Teddy Bear' Dwarf Pompom Sunflower 'Teddy Bear'

The compact fully-double golden pompom — fluffy chrysanthemum-like flowerheads of layered golden-amber petals on dwarf 60–90cm plants. Sunflower 'Teddy Bear' is the cottage sunflower for everyone who has ever thought conventional sunflowers were beautiful but too large, too tall, and too architectural for a small garden or patio container. Child-friendly, outstanding in 25–30L containers, no staking required.

This is the sunflower for the patio, the small garden, or the container display. At 60–90cm with fully-double pompom flower heads that look significantly more like giant shaggy chrysanthemums than conventional sunflowers, 'Teddy Bear' is compact enough for front-of-border and container planting, cheerful enough for children's gardens, and visually distinctive enough to stand out from the flat-petalled sunflower silhouette that's become a garden familiar. The fully-double form means every flat ray petal and every dark disc floret has been transformed into a layered petal-like structure — the resulting flowerhead is a dense rounded golden cushion, more chrysanthemum than sunflower in form, more tactile than architectural in character. The variety name captures this exactly: blooms have the soft rounded slightly impractical charm of a teddy bear.

Half-hardy annual. Branching multi-headed — produces multiple flowering stems per plant. Edible golden petals — they can be used as a colourful garnish on summer salads and botanical cakes. Flowers 7–12cm across, in deep golden-amber.

A note on growing

Sow one seed per 7–9cm pot at 1–2cm depth in April at 18–22°C, or direct sow after the last frost in May. Germination 7–10 days. Plant out or thin to 30–45cm spacing in late May or June in full sun.

At 60–90cm, Teddy Bear requires no staking in most positions — the compact height is appropriate for front-of-border planting and patio containers. Water deeply at the base (not overhead onto the dense flower heads, which can develop mildew when wet). For containers, use a large pot of at least 25–30 litres with good compost and daily watering in summer. Teddy Bear is one of the few sunflower varieties that performs genuinely well in containers — the compact height fits container proportions that tall varieties overwhelm. Feed weekly from June with a balanced liquid fertiliser.

Where it shines

In patio containers and large terracotta pots — Teddy Bear is the rare sunflower that suits container display. In children's gardens — large easy-to-handle seeds, fast germination, eye-level flowering (no need to look up at 2-metre giants), and the irresistibly tactile pompom flowerheads. At the front of cottage borders for low-level golden cheer. In small gardens where space limits prevent the tall traditional varieties.

Plant alongside

For a layered cottage scheme, combine 'Teddy Bear' with Calendula 'Touch of Red' (matching warm autumn-orange tones at compatible heights) and Cosmos 'Apricotta' (matching pastel-warm palette). For a children's garden specifically, plant alongside Nasturtium 'Tom Thumb' (matching dwarf habit, large easy seeds, edible flowers) for a complete child-friendly sowing experience.