Among butterfly attracting plants, tithonia Mexican sunflower rises to the top. This is both because of its height as well as its popularity with these pollinators. Monarch butterflies, especially, stop by my plants daily to fill up on nectar on their migration route. This article tells you all you need to know to add tithonia Mexican sunflower to your garden, including why you should consider this plant, where and how to plant it, and the best care and maintenance for the best blooms.

The tithonia Mexican sunflower plant is a celebration of brightly colored, red-to-orange, 3-inch blooms on thick stems with dark-green foliage. Looking at the Mexican sunflower’s dozens of blossoms in mid-summer, I can’t help but think of it as a bushy, season-long, drought-tolerant party in the garden.

Meet Tithonia, the Mexican sunflower

You might hear tithonia Mexican sunflower called by tithonia or Mexican sunflower, and in some places, it’s also known as red sunflower. You can guess by looking at it that the Mexican sunflower is a member of the daisy family (sometimes also called the sunflower or aster family—Asteraceae). While the overall plant is in its own class, tithonia’s leaves, hollow stems, and flowers bring to mind gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii).

There are other flowering plants in this same family that also go by the common name of Mexican sunflower, so be sure that you’re growing the right one, Tithonia rotundifolia. A similar species, the perennial Tithonia diversifolia, is considered invasive in Florida, so I can’t recommend that one, pretty as it is.

Tithonia rotundifolia is native to Mexico and Central America, and as a result, it’s suited to arid, hot conditions and shallow, rocky, well-draining soils. As many flowering plants start looking like they need supplemental water come July, tithonia continues to thrive on its own.

Growing 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet around, this annual plant has vigorous growth, to say the least. But don’t let the potential size of a Mexican sunflower steer you away from this plant in smaller gardens. There are two cultivars, ‘Fiesta del Sol’ and ‘Goldfinger’, that only grow to about 3 feet and 2 feet tall, respectively. It’s the tithonia cultivars named ‘Torch’ and ‘Yellow Torch’ that have the impressive size.

Why you should grow Mexican sunflowers

I think the photos of tithonia Mexican sunflower accompanying this article speak for themselves, but here’s my list of reasons to grow Mexican sunflowers:

• The butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees will love the flowers.
• You will also love the flowers, both in the garden and as a cut flower.
• The tall, branching plant makes a great backdrop for lower-growing plants and an attractive visual screen or hedgerow plant.
• Mexican sunflowers’ heat- and drought-tolerant nature make them well suited for unpredictable summer weather.
• You can, and should, plant these in poor soils, where many other plants won’t grow.
• Did I mention the flowers?

Where to grow Tithonia

You’ll get the best flowers by planting Mexican sunflower in an area with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, though it could handle even more. Full sun is essential for a strong plant that stands upright. Place the plant in a vegetable garden to draw in pollinators and add color to the space, tuck it into the back of the border as a stunning backdrop to an ornamental garden, or make it part of the rotation of annual plants in your hedgerow.

Planting the Mexican sunflower from seed or transplants

You may be able to find Mexican sunflower seedlings at a nursery, but it’s just as easy to seed them yourself, either indoors to get a jump on early summer flowers or directly into the garden.

I have some tips for planting tithonia Mexican sunflower:

• Starting seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date ensures earlier blooms, especially in the lower/northern USDA Zones.
• Whether planting them as transplants or direct sowing into well-drained soil, wait until the threat of frost has past, as the plants are sensitive to cold temperatures.
• Seeds germinate best, in just 4 to 10 days, at 70 degrees F. You might want to use a heat mat, if starting seeds indoors.
• Don’t be concerned if the plant doesn’t take off right away. As the weather warms, its growth will skyrocket.
• These seeds require light to germinate, so cover them with just a sprinkling of soil or seed-starting mix.

It’s easy to save Mexican sunflower seeds to replant next year. Resist deadheading some of the flowers so they turn to seed. Let the seeds dry right there on the plant before collecting them.

Care advice for Tithonia Mexican sunflower

Believe it or not, tithonia doesn’t need rich soils to produce a good flower show throughout the growing season. Average soil with good drainage is best. When you put tithonia in your best soil or you over-fertilize the plant, it’s more likely to produce a lot of foliage and fewer flowers. I never add any fertilizer to my plants to avoid this problem. Its stems may be weaker, too, making the plant more likely to fall over from its own weight.

Deadheading for more blooms

Tithonia Mexican sunflower will continue producing flowers with the right care. Biologically, the purpose of flowering is to produce seeds and continue a plant’s lineage. Left on the plant, the blooms will fade and the plant will put its energy into ripening the emerging seeds. Interrupt this cycle and generate more blooms by deadheading: Use garden shears to cut off the spent flowerheads so the plant puts its energy into creating even more flowers rather than creating seeds. Deadheading keeps the Mexican sunflower actively flowering until the first frost.

How to support Tithonia Mexican sunflower plants

With all of these stems branching from a central stalk, tithonia Mexican sunflower is a bit unstable. You can pinch back the plants at a desired height to encourage bushier growth, which makes them a little sturdier. Staking the central stalk or planting them close together can keep them from falling over. It’s also helpful to put Mexican sunflower in a place sheltered from winds.

Potential problems

Mexican sunflower comes with relatively few problems. Even deer and insect pests will leave these plants alone (though the deer have occasionally nibbled on the tithonia I grow each year in my back garden).

One problem to watch for with tithonia is reseeding. Because this plant produces so many flowers, it also produces an abundance of seeds. If you allow all the seeds to drop because you didn’t keep up with deadheading, you may have tithonia Mexican sunflower volunteering again next year. Some gardeners view this as a problem, while others welcome its self-sowing nature.

Top-notch Tithonia

Gardeners interested in bringing bright colors and unique plants into their garden, should definitely give the tithonia Mexican sunflower plant a try. It does not disappoint, producing hundreds of blooms on every plant and making a bold statement in the garden. With its minimal care requirements, drought tolerance, and prolific season-long color, it’s basically a “party in a plant”!

Want to grow more flowers? Here are some great articles on more of my favorites: 

• Growing hollyhocks
• Strawflower cultivation 
• 12 stunning flowering vines
• Planting sweet Williams
• 3 ways to grow sunflowers from seed