Two pale yellow Sunflower Vanilla Ice blooms by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd stand tall with dark centers against a bright blue sky, framed as if in a dual panel, with green foliage and blurred wildflowers in the background.
Two pale yellow Sunflower Vanilla Ice blooms by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd stand tall with dark centers against a bright blue sky, framed as if in a dual panel, with green foliage and blurred wildflowers in the background.A close-up of the Sunflower Vanilla Ice by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, featuring pale yellow petals, a dark center, softly rounded edges, and set against a blurred garden backdrop of greenery, clouds, and flowers.
Annual Pollinator

Sunflower Vanilla Ice

Helianthus annuus 'Vanilla Ice'

£2.50approx. 20 seeds

Soft creamy-vanilla petals around a dark chocolate disc — the luminous cottage sunflower that glows in evening light and ties warm and cool tones together.

Sowing months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height
120–150cm
Spacing
45-60cm
Position
They need full sun, ideally receiving at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day.
Soil
Sunflowers are heavy feeders. Work in plenty of well-rotted manure, garden compost, or a slow-release fertilizer before planting.
Grow guide
How to grow Sunflower Vanilla Ice
Read the full guide →
About this variety

Soft creamy-vanilla petals round a dark chocolate disc. Not white and not yellow but a warm-tinted cream, and it glows at dusk in a way a golden sunflower simply cannot.

What it does in a planting is specific and useful. Cream is a bridge. It ties warm colours to cool ones without belonging to either camp, so it settles a border that has both, and among pale flowers it adds warmth and weight. Next to the near-black 'Chocolate' it gives the highest contrast in the range.

Branching and multi-headed at 60 to 90cm, so you get a run of cutting stems rather than one flower.

Sow one seed per pot, because sunflowers make a taproot quickly and resent being disturbed or held in a small pot too long. Plant out late May or early June at 45 to 60cm. Slugs will strip young sunflower plants in a night, so protect them for the first two or three weeks. Water deeply at the base and feed fortnightly through midsummer.

Plant alongside

Sunflower Vanilla Ice pairs beautifully with these cottage garden classics

Sunflower Chocolate
Sunflower Chocolate
£2.50
Cosmos Purity
Cosmos Purity
£2.40
Nicotiana White Trumpets
Nicotiana White Trumpets
£2.00

RHS Plants for Pollinators

This plant has been assessed by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended as especially beneficial to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Growing plants like this directly supports UK pollinator populations — something close to our hearts at Salle Moor Hall Farm, where we see the difference a cottage garden full of the right plants can make.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →