Has anyone grown these? I would love some for my hot bed and Christopher Lloyd recommended them often in his writing, but I don't know how they would fare up north - The climate is a bit different from Sussex. Yorkshire is also better suited to water lilies at present. http://home.howstuffworks.com/tithonia-mexican-sunflower.htm
they look beautiful but I have never grown any. I shall await more learned responses because they look very interesting.
We got 3 plants from a handful of seed. They are just beginning to flower now. This is a very cold part of England (like we have had frost every month except August over the last 12 years). They seem to be surviving the huge amounts of rain we have had. Our soil though is very free draining. They are just beginning to flower now after sowing in April. Flowers are not as big as the ones from which the seed came. I will save seed from these if it sets and see what happens next year.
I sowed some seed on 1st May (as recommended by Christopher Lloyd) along with Cleome. The Cleome has done reasonably well and is now starting to flower, but the Tithonia is a complete failure - the largest is only three inches high. However it has been a very difficult year - so cold and wet. My feeling is that many plants from warmer climates have done badly, but others that like the wet, such as perennial geraniums and Eupatorium, have done wonderfully. So I won't give up - I will try again. Christopher Lloyd suggested sowing Cleome and Tithonia in May, as if they get set back by cold, they sulk and never recover. I had wonderful Cleome two years ago, but last year they clearly got cold and sulked and never grew more than about six inches.
I have a few seeds harvested from plants I grew last year. You are welcome to some of these --------------
I grew 200 Tthonia earlier in the year for a Parks flower bed, I still haven't checked on how they fared, I will have a look this weekend. They are a sun and warmth lovers so these last 2 summers haven't been too kind to them.:(
That's very kind of you, PuffyWillow. Can I PM you my address? And welcome, by the way. With such generosity I'm sure you will always be welcome here! Alis
