The illustrated growing guide
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia)
Tithonia rotundifolia
Family Asteraceae
Grown as an annual
A butterfly magnet of the highest order — blazing orange daisies on a big, fast, heat-loving bush that migrating monarchs, bees, and hummingbirds swarm from midsummer to frost. It wants your hottest, driest, leanest spot (pampering makes it flop). Shoulder-high in weeks from a direct sowing, it's a knockout cut flower and one of the best pollinator annuals going.
Full Sun
Low water
Very Fast growth
Attracts hummingbirds
Attracts butterflies
Attracts bees
None winter chillI
Overview
Will mexican sunflower (tithonia) suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what mexican sunflower (tithonia) actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualMexican Sunflower (Tithonia) at a glance
Common mexican sunflower (tithonia) problems
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow mexican sunflower (tithonia): light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate mexican sunflower (tithonia)
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The year
What mexican sunflower (tithonia) asks for, month by month.
The mexican sunflower (tithonia) year, month by month
BloomWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
The mexican sunflower (tithonia) year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar quiet month
- Apr quiet month
- May quiet month
- Jun bloom
- Jul bloom
- Aug bloom
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
- Nectary/insectary
What mexican sunflower (tithonia) is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Harvesting & storing mexican sunflower (tithonia)
Seeds feed birds. About 80-100 days from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of mexican sunflower (tithonia), ruled as a catalogue.
Best mexican sunflower (tithonia) varieties & cultivars
'Torch' (classic orange, 5-6 ft); 'Goldfinger' (compact 3 ft); 'Fiesta del Sol' (dwarf, early)
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to mexican sunflower (tithonia)yet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) questions, answered straight.
Is mexican sunflower (tithonia) safe for kids and pets?
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest mexican sunflower (tithonia)?
Seeds feed birds. From planting, expect about 80-100 days to maturity.
How do you propagate mexican sunflower (tithonia)?
From seed.
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Elsewhere
Where mexican sunflower (tithonia) sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily