PlantFiles: Mexican Sunflower
Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch'

This is by far one of the most unusual annuals in my garden.
It started out as somewhat wilty and wimpy. Then we started watering it. It took off! The flowers are 2"-5" wide and are the most electrifying shade of orange. The blue leaves cool the shocking shades. The leaves are just like velvet! And so are the stems. But, BE CAREFUL! The stems are very easily broken and damaged.
The flowers just keep coming! The Ipomoea tricolor 'Blue Star' I planted 4' away then started growing, but I have not seen the Tithonia in a while! Hope it is OK.

I can't help but LOVE this plant. The velvety leaves and stems the beautiful flowers and THE BUTTERFLIES AND HUMMINGBIRDS .... OH MY !!!! :D I have never seen sooo many hummingbirds & butterflies in my garden ever!! They seem to flock to this plants flowers. It's WELL worth having. These got 6' 4" Tall!! And it still seems to be growing :D

I planted this for the first time last summer. The plants took over a 3X3 grow bed and grew to over 5 feet tall. They bloomed from June until the first hard freeze in October. They also self sowed for this year. I just cut my first flowers today. They are great for cutting and will last about a week in a vase. When they come up in the yard all I have to do is mow over them one time and they don't come back so they are not a problem in that area either.

Orlando. 6' tall. Ample, strong.
Full sun. Unfertilized. Good drainage.

I planted it for flowers for butterfly food.
Four pitiful flowers a few weeks ago, didn't last long.

Mine have grown to about 8 feet tall, but no flowers! They've been growing all summer. What do I need to do to get flowers?

This plant has super colour, super flowers, super habit, and super butterfly and bee attraction. It is one of my favourite plants.

I have grown this plant successfully as a summer annual in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm expecting that I will also grow it successfully in Wellington, New Zealand this summer.

This brought the first monarch butterfly I've seen in my yard. It's lovely, vibrant, pest resistant... I'm growing tons more next year.

Grew these from seed indoors, for the first time. Easy to grow. They are fast growers. I like the intense orange color. I have a few in a groundhog-prone area and so far have NOT had any eaten (knock on wood).

I planted this for the first time this year from a free seed packet. They are close to 6 feet tall. (I watered them almost daily before I read that they had some drought tolerance) I planted it in a fecned off garden to keep it portected from the wildlife (groundhags and rabbits especially). Next year I want to plant it outside the fence with some of my other butterfly plants. Has anyone had experience as to whether it will get eaten?

This is my favorite plant, the butterflies' favorite, and the hummingbirds' favorite as well. It does get a little leggy, and the dead leaves have to be pruned regularly. I have it planted with the red salvia Faye Chapel and it looks great. I will try to never be without it!

I absolutely love Tithonia even tho it's an annual for me. The bright orange color never disappoints.

Mexican Sunflower has reseeded for the past three years in my Zone 8 garden, although this has been the first year the deer have devoured the young plants. Butterflies and hummingbirds feast on the orange flowers, adding to the charm of this back-of-the-border plant.

I've enjoyed Mexican Sunflower in a combination with the burgundy leaves of castor bean plant with a skirt of a 2' orange lantana and edged with Melampodium.

I have passiflora incarnata plants which are host to the fritillary butterfly larvae. I had numerous cats who hatched out to enjoy this plant sometimes with two or more on one flowers. The bubblebees seem to like it since it is a substantial landing pad for them.

Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch' is one of the very best butterfly attractors that I have found. It has a BEAUTIFUL flower and grows very well in central/south Florida growing conditions. It attracts myriads of bees and butterflies of every kind. I grew it last year for the first time and will never be without it from now on.