13 Crazy-Colorful Sunflowers to Grow in Your Garden

Colorful sunflowers are easy to grow from seeds, and they're great to plant for bees and other important pollinators. Sunflower colors range from cream to gold, yellow, orange, red, mahogany and chocolate brown. There are even pink sunflowers, but if you see blue sunflower seeds for sale, be wary. There's a deep, dark red hybrid that some gardeners consider purple, but there aren't any blue sunflowers in nature.

Need a fun project to do with kids? Plant sunflower seeds, which are large enough for even small hands to manage. Choose from tall or tiny varieties. Children can plant the seeds of giant sunflowers about six inches deep, in two rows, to make a shady playhouse. You can pick small types to enjoy in vases and bouquets. Browse these sunflower pictures to find your favorites.

'Shock-O-Lat' is a sunflower with giant flowerheads and lots of branches. The blooms are the deep, dark brown color of a chocolate bar, and they're highlighted with golden tips. A gold halo circles each center disk, too. Although each flower is slightly different in coloration, all are pollen-free, so they're fine for vases. This variety tops out at about 6 feet tall.

'Coconut Ice' is a relatively new sunflower variety with creamy vanilla-white petals that transition to white at the tips. One flower is produced per stem on plants that grow 4 to 5 feet high. The black centers make a bold contrast to the blossoms, measuring 4 to 8 inches across.

‘Prado Red Shades’ isn’t your typical sunflower. Unusual chocolate-tinted centers sport a collar of red petals. Plants top out at 4 feet. Pinch stems when five sets of leaves have formed, and you’ll be rewarded with seven to 10 full size flowers for bouquets.