The "pink sunflower" that keeps turning up on social media is real. It is ‘Strawberry Blonde’, an F1 hybrid of the ordinary common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, bred for petals that blend rose, pink and burgundy and fade to pale lemon at the tips around a dark centre. It is an annual, grows to roughly 150–180 cm (5–6 ft), branches to give several flowers per plant, and blooms from mid to late summer. If you can grow a yellow sunflower, you can grow this one.
Below is what makes the variety different, how to raise it from seed, and a few sunflower myths worth clearing up before you plant.
What ‘Strawberry Blonde’ looks like
Each flower head is up to about 12–15 cm (5–6 in) across. The ray petals, the "petals" most people notice, start deep rose or burgundy near the centre and lighten towards the edges, often ending in a soft yellow tip that gives the variety its name. No two blooms are quite alike: cool weather, strong sun and the age of the flower all shift the balance between pink, red and lemon.
The centre is the same dark disc you see on yellow sunflowers, made of hundreds of tiny florets. On all sunflowers those florets are arranged in interlocking spirals set about 137.5 degrees apart, the so-called golden angle, and the number of spirals in each direction is usually a pair of consecutive Fibonacci numbers, such as 34 and 55. It is one of the best-known examples of mathematics in a garden.
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This post from the florist account Floral Indulgence, shared in July 2018, shows the typical colour range in a cut bunch, from dusky pink to cream.
‘Strawberry Blonde’ is also sold as pollen-free. Pollenless sunflowers were bred largely for florists, because they do not shed yellow dust onto tablecloths and clothes, and the flowers tend to last longer in the vase. Bees and butterflies still visit them for nectar.
(The Instagram post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
Where sunflowers come from
The common sunflower is native to North America, from southern Canada through the central and western United States into northern Mexico. People domesticated it long before Europeans arrived: archaeologists have found evidence from Tabasco in Mexico dating to about 2600 BCE and fully domesticated seeds in Tennessee from about 2300 BCE. Spanish explorers carried it to Europe in the sixteenth century, and it became a major oil crop in Eastern Europe.
Today sunflower oil is the world’s fourth most used vegetable oil. In 2024 global sunflower seed production was about 51.9 million tonnes, with Russia and Ukraine together growing well over half. Separate confectionery varieties produce the striped seeds sold as snacks.
The flower has a cultural life too. Vincent van Gogh painted his famous Sunflowers still lifes in Arles in 1888 and 1889, and they remain among the most recognised paintings in the world. Ornamental breeders have since added red, bronze, cream and pink forms to the familiar gold, with ‘Strawberry Blonde’ among the softest-coloured of them.
(The Instagram post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
How to grow ‘Strawberry Blonde’ from seed
Sunflowers are one of the easiest flowers to start from seed, which is why so many of us first grew one as children. The same basics apply to this variety.
When and where to sow
Choose the sunniest spot you have; sunflowers need full sun for at least six hours a day. Sow outdoors after the last frost, once the soil has warmed, typically late spring in temperate climates. Push seeds about 1–2 cm deep and allow around 60 cm (2 ft) between plants, because this variety branches and needs room. Seedlings usually appear within one to two weeks. You can also start seeds indoors in pots a few weeks earlier and plant them out after frost, handling the roots gently.
Soil, water and food
The plant is not fussy about soil type and will grow in clay, loam, chalk or sand, as long as it drains well. Water regularly while plants are young and during dry spells, soaking the soil rather than sprinkling. A general-purpose feed or some compost at planting is enough; too much nitrogen gives lush leaves and fewer flowers.
Support and shelter
At 1.5 to 1.8 metres the plants are moderate for a sunflower, but heavy flower heads can still catch the wind. A sheltered spot against a fence or wall helps, and a single cane tied loosely to the main stem keeps plants upright in exposed gardens.
Cutting for the vase
For indoor arrangements, cut stems in the cool of the morning, just as the petals begin to lift away from the centre. Strip the lower leaves, put the stems straight into water, and change it every couple of days. Cutting the main flower also encourages the side branches to produce more.
Sunflower myths worth clearing up
"It will come back every year." Some older descriptions of the pink sunflower claimed it returns year after year. It does not: Helianthus annuus is an annual that grows, flowers and dies in one season. There are perennial sunflowers, but they are different species. Because ‘Strawberry Blonde’ is an F1 hybrid, seed saved from it will not reliably reproduce the same colours either, so buy fresh seed each spring.
"Sunflowers follow the sun all their lives." Only young plants do. Growing flower buds turn from east to west through the day and swing back overnight. Once the flowers open, the heads stop moving and stay facing east, which warms them sooner in the morning and attracts more pollinators.
"The colour in viral photos is exactly what you’ll get." Online pictures are often filtered or saturated. In a real garden, expect a range from soft rose to wine-red with pale tips, changing as the flowers age.
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A summer 2018 post from the cut-flower grower Meadowview Flowers shows the variety in a mixed harvest, where the pinks soften brighter yellows and oranges.
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Kristen Nagel of Black Rooster Farm shared this photo the following day, one of many small flower farms that took up the variety for bouquets.
Design ideas for your garden
Because it stays at a manageable height, ‘Strawberry Blonde’ works in places where giant sunflowers would be overwhelming. Try it at the back of a sunny border, along a wall or fence, in a cutting patch, or among grasses in a cottage or meadow-style planting. Its dusky tones pair well with purple flowers such as salvia or verbena, with silver foliage, or with cream and apricot zinnias.
Successional sowing, putting in a few seeds every two or three weeks until early summer, keeps flowers coming until autumn. Leaving a few spent heads standing at the end of the season is worthwhile too: any seed that forms, often after cross-pollination from other sunflowers nearby, feeds finches and other birds.
The plant is generally low-maintenance and tolerant of deer, but slugs and snails love young seedlings, so protect them in the first weeks. With sun, space and a little water, a single packet of seed can fill a corner of the garden with a colour most neighbours have never seen on a sunflower.
Sources: Gardenia.net: Helianthus annuus ‘Strawberry Blonde’; Johnny’s Selected Seeds: Strawberry Blonde (F1) Sunflower Seed; Wikipedia: Helianthus annuus. Instagram posts by @floral_indulge, @meadowviewflowers and @blackroosterfarm.
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