PlantFiles: Sunflower
Helianthus annuus 'Ruby Eclipse'

Tall Multi-Bloom Hybrid Sunflower

This sunflower grows about 6 to 8 feet tall and produces very nice 5 to 8 inch bi-coloured blooms in shades of red and yellow. The flowers are decent for cutting and will last about a week as long as you scald the cut stem in boiling water and cut the bud just as its opening in the morning. The plant itself has a nice sturdy main stem and will branch from the top producing a few blooms at a time on the plant. The first flower typically will be the largest getting up to about 8 inches but most fall in the 5 to 6 inch range. All in all this is an excellent sunflower that I would recommend to anyone. Its only downside being that it is a F1 hybrid.

P.S. - I have planted Ruby Eclipse in three very different spots and have learned some interesting things. If you give it only about 8 hours of sun and not a full day it tends to make the flower much darker. Especially if its receiving more morning sun and less late afternoon sun. The plants dont get as bushy as they do in full sun but they are still very nice strong plants with darker blooms than the ones getting full sun. This really is a great sunflower.