How to Grow
Sunflower 'Teddy Bear' from Seed
The compact fully-double golden pompom — Half-Hardy Annual; 60–90cm dwarf; fluffy pompom blooms 7–12cm like oversized chrysanthemums; outstanding in 25–30L containers; child-friendly (large seeds, fast germination, flowers at eye-level); edible golden petals; branching multi-headed; sow one per pot April at 18–22°C or direct sow May; plant at 30–45cm full sun; no staking needed
Sunflower 'Teddy Bear' is the sunflower for everyone who has ever thought that sunflowers were beautiful but perhaps a little too large, too tall, and too architectural for a small garden or a patio container. At 60–90cm tall with fully-double golden pompom flower heads that look significantly more like giant shaggy chrysanthemums than conventional sunflowers, Teddy Bear is compact enough for front-of-border and container planting, cheerful enough for children's gardens, and visually distinctive enough to stand out from the flat-petalled sunflower silhouette that has become a garden familiar.
The fully-double pompom form — every flat ray petal and dark disc floret transformed into a layered, rounded, fluffy structure — is the specific quality that makes Teddy Bear genuinely different from the rest of the sunflower world. It captures light differently (the dense rounded head has no single flat face but catches sun from multiple angles), it reads differently in a border (more cushion-like, more textural, more tactile than architectural), and it responds differently in a vase (a solid, three-dimensional pompom rather than an open-faced disc flower). That specific combination of compact height and pompom form makes Teddy Bear one of the most immediately appealing and accessible sunflowers a seed packet can contain.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Half-Hardy Annual — compact dwarf 60–90cm; fully-double golden pompom
Flowers
Fluffy, fully-double golden-yellow pompom blooms 7–12cm; like giant shaggy chrysanthemums
Container star
Outstanding in large containers (25–30 litres); compact enough for patio and small gardens
Child-friendly
Large seeds; fast germination; flowers at eye-level; irresistible tactile pompom
Edible petals
The petals are edible with a bittersweet flavour; scatter over salads or summer desserts
Difficulty
1 out of 5 — the most beginner-friendly sunflower; large seeds, fast results, joyful reward
Understanding Teddy Bear
Sow in Individual Pots — Sunflowers Dislike Root Disturbance
Sow one seed per 7–9cm pot at 1–2cm depth. Sunflowers develop a long taproot from the earliest stage and resent being root-bound or transplanted with disturbed roots. Plant out before roots begin circling the base of the pot, handling the root ball very gently.
Frost-Tender Throughout — Plant Out Late May to June Only
Sunflowers are half-hardy annuals and completely frost-tender at every stage. Do not plant out until all frost risk has passed and the soil has begun to warm. Harden off over 7–10 days before final outdoor planting.
The Fully-Double Pompom — Different from Every Other Sunflower
Teddy Bear is a fully-double sunflower — every element of the flower head that would normally be a flat ray petal or a dark disc floret has been transformed into a layered, petal-like structure that together forms a rounded, fluffy pompom. The result looks nothing like a conventional sunflower: instead of large flat petals around a dark disc, the Teddy Bear flower head is a dense, rounded, golden cushion — more chrysanthemum than sunflower in form, more tactile than architectural in character. The variety name captures this quality exactly: the blooms have the soft, rounded, slightly impractical charm of a teddy bear.
Sowing & Growing On
Sow One Per Pot April at 18–22°C or Direct Sow May — Plant at 30–45cm — Full Sun — Outstanding in 25–30L Containers
Sow one seed per 7–9cm pot at 1–2cm depth in April at 18–22°C, or direct sow after the last frost in May. Germination 7–14 days. Plant or thin to 30–45cm in full sun. Excellent in containers of at least 25–30 litres with daily watering and weekly feed.
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Sow one seed per 7–9cm pot at 1–2cm depth in April at 18–22°C. Germination 7–14 days. The large seeds are particularly satisfying to sow and make this variety an excellent choice for growing with children. Move to the brightest available position immediately on emergence to prevent the compact variety from becoming drawn and leggy.
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Alternatively, direct sow after the last frost in May. Place 2 seeds per position at 1–2cm depth and 30cm apart. Thin to the strongest seedling once both are 5cm tall. Direct sowing avoids any root disturbance at transplanting and produces vigorous, well-established plants that often catch up quickly with earlier indoor-sown specimens.
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Plant out or thin to 30–45cm spacing in late May–June in full sun. At 60–90cm, Teddy Bear requires no staking in most positions. The compact height is appropriate for front-of-border planting and for patio containers. Water deeply at the base — not overhead onto the dense flower heads — throughout the growing season.
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For containers, use a large pot of at least 25–30 litres with good compost and daily watering in summer. Teddy Bear is one of the few sunflower varieties that performs genuinely well in containers: the compact height fits container proportions that tall varieties overwhelm, and the pompom flowers in a large terracotta pot create one of the most cheerful patio displays available from a single annual plant. Feed weekly from June with a balanced liquid fertiliser.
Growing On & Care
The Child-Friendly Sunflower
Teddy Bear is the ideal first sunflower for children to grow: the seeds are large and easy to handle (satisfying to push into compost at exactly the right depth); germination is fast and visible within 7–14 days — well within a child's attention span; the compact height (60–90cm) means flowers reach eye-level or slightly above rather than towering out of reach; and the fully-double pompom form is immediately captivating to children in a way that flat-petalled conventional sunflowers, however large, are not. Growing Teddy Bear with children provides the complete, rewarding arc of a garden season in a single packet of seed.
Container Performance
In a large container of at least 25–30 litres filled with good-quality compost, a well-watered Teddy Bear plant produces multiple branching stems from July through September, each carrying a pompom flower head. Container-grown Teddy Bear benefits from daily watering in summer (containers dry out rapidly in warm weather), weekly liquid feed from June, and positioning in the sunniest available spot — the pompom blooms are at their most fully double and their most vivid golden in maximum sun.
As a Cut Flower
The fully-double pompom blooms of Teddy Bear make distinctive cut flowers with a vase life of 7–10 days. Cut when the pompom is fully formed and beginning to open at its centre, re-cut at an angle under water, and condition in deep water for 4 hours. In a mixed arrangement, the rounded pompom form provides a three-dimensional, solid, tactile element that flat-petalled flowers cannot replicate. In a simple glass or jam jar without other flowers, a bunch of Teddy Bear blooms is one of summer's most immediately cheerful domestic displays.
Edible Petals
The petals of Teddy Bear are edible with a pleasantly bittersweet flavour. Pull petals gently from the flower head, wash in cold water, and scatter fresh over salads, summer desserts, or open sandwiches. The golden colour is particularly striking against green salad leaves or pale cream desserts. Only the petals should be eaten — the central disc structures and all other plant parts should not be consumed.
Succession for Continuous Pompoms
For a longer display of the distinctive pompom heads, sow in two or three batches: one in April (indoors), one in early May (indoors or direct), and a final batch direct outdoors in mid-May. The successive batches produce pompom flowers from July through September or early October in a good season. A three-batch approach requires very little additional effort and provides a significantly longer continuous golden pompom display from the garden or patio.
Seed Heads for Wildlife
At the end of the season, allow some Teddy Bear seed heads to dry fully on the plant. The dense flower head develops nutritious seeds that are particularly sought by goldfinches and other seed-eating birds through autumn. A few dried heads left standing provide a natural, ecologically valuable, and visually interesting late-season garden feature as the golden pompoms transform into architectural dried seed structures through October and November.
Sowing & Flowering Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
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| Sow indoors (April; one per pot) |
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| Direct sow option (May; after last frost) |
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| Plant out or thin (late May–Jun) |
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| Flowers (Jul–Sep; golden pompom blooms) |
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Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Pompom not fully double on early flowers | Normal — fuller doubling develops as the season progresses | The earliest flowers on newly-established plants may show slightly less double character than later-season blooms. This is normal variation; later flowers on well-established, well-fed plants consistently show fuller pompom development. |
| Compact plant not reaching 60–90cm | Container too small; insufficient nutrients or water | Use a container of at least 25–30 litres. Water daily in summer. Feed weekly from June. In the ground, prepare with compost before planting. |
| Dense pompom damaged after heavy rain | Flower heads retain water; fungal spotting in wet weather | Water at the base rather than overhead. Cut pompom blooms at peak for indoor display before heavy rain if forecast. |
| Seeds not germinating | Too cool; seeds eaten by wildlife | Maintain 18–22°C for germination. If direct sowing, protect the sown area with fine mesh laid flat on the soil surface until seedlings emerge — birds and squirrels are attracted to the large seeds. |
Plant Specifications
The golden pompom that looks more like a teddy bear than a sunflower — compact, joyful, and irresistible in containers and at front-of-border
Sow one seed per 7–9cm pot at 1–2cm in April at 18–22°C, or direct sow after the last frost in May. Germination 7–14 days. Plant at 30–45cm in full sun in late May–June. For containers: use a minimum 25–30 litre pot, water daily in summer, and feed weekly from June. Fully-double golden pompom blooms appear from July through September.
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