Sunflower Teddy Bear

Fully double golden pompoms, seven to twelve centimetres across, on dwarf plants at 60 to 90cm. Every ray petal and every disc floret has been turned into a petal, so what you get is a dense rounded cushion that looks a great deal more like a shaggy chrysanthemum than a sunflower.

The height is the point. A traditional sunflower is a two-metre architectural event; this one sits at eye level for a child, fits the front of a border, and is one of very few sunflowers that genuinely works in a pot. It needs a big pot though, 25 or 30 litres, and daily water in summer. No staking, which is a relief, and the petals are edible if you want them on a salad.

The one drawback of a dense double head is that it holds water. Water at the base and not over the flowers, or the middle of the head goes mouldy in a wet spell. Sow one seed per pot, plant out at 30 to 45cm, and protect from slugs for the first fortnight.