Pollen-Free Sunflower Varieties To Grow For A Garden That Won't Give The Sniffles

Everyone loves big, beautiful sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), right? These stunning North American native flowers are great for bees, can be used to make tasty snacks, and can even help to clean soil. While there are a lot of good reasons to plant sunflowers in your garden, they aren't so wonderful for many allergy sufferers. Allergies to sunflower pollen are relatively common, but you don't have to let a sunflower pollen allergy keep you from growing these beautiful flowers. Pollen-free sunflowers are widely available, and in fact, the popular 'ProCut' sunflower series offers a whole line of pollen-free flowers in a variety of both classic and unique shades.

There are trade-offs to growing pollen-free sunflowers. While they are just as beautiful as any other type of sunflower, are far less likely to cause allergies or leave pollen stains on your clothes or furnishings, and even have a longer vase life, sunflowers sadly lose their benefits of being bee-friendly flowers if they are pollen-free, as this causes them to have little value for bees or other pollinators. If your allergies won't allow for growing pollen-producing sunflowers, though, stunning pollen-free varieties can ensure you don't miss out on these beautiful flowers.

If you're a fan of tall, single-stem sunflowers, like the kinds popular for cut flowers, then it should be no problem at all to find the perfect pollen-free sunflower variety. Whether you opt for 'ProCut Orange' sunflowers, which boast the classic sunflower shape and color that is so beloved, or you go with something a bit different, like 'ProCut Plum' or 'ProCut White Nite,' there are a wide range of possibilities. Finding pollen-free, branching dwarf sunflowers can be a bit more difficult, though. Luckily, a species called the junior yellow hybrid sunflower is available now, which, in addition to being pollen-free, is also branching and rarely grows past 2 feet tall.

In most ways, including care, pollen-free sunflowers are the same as any other type of sunflower and require the same sunny location and well-draining soil to thrive. If you already know how to plant and grow sunflowers, then you shouldn't have any problem growing pollen-free sunflowers. It's just a matter of finding the variety that suits your needs and style.