Mexican Sunflower

Mexican Sunflower - Tithonia rotundifolia = Tithonia speciosa.
Luxurious annual.
Herbaceous shrub plant with strong branched stems, 80-100 cm high. The leaves are large, heart-shaped. Stems are reddish, slightly pubescent.
Inflorescences-baskets are orange-red, 5-8 cm in diameter, on long peduncles, resembling inflorescences of non-double dahlias.
Titonia is warm- and light-requiring, prefers fertile loose soils.
Used in single and group plantings in flower beds and in the background of curbs.
Flowering continues from late July until frost.
Looks great in group plantings in mixborders, in high flower beds among summer houses. Perfect for creating flowering hedges, suitable for cutting.
Agrotechnics.
Sowing seedlings in March-April. The optimum soil temperature for seed germination is + 20 ° C. Landing in open ground in late May - early June, when the threat of spring frosts has passed. The distance between plants is 30-40 cm. It is possible to grow without seedlings by direct sowing in open ground under a film, to a depth of 0.5 cm during May.

Homeland - Mexico.
Location: thermophilic and photophilous. Sunshine place is the most suitable place.
Soil: prefers fertile, loose soil.
Diseases and pests: in a damp summer, inflorescences can rot. Therefore, they must be cut off in time, otherwise you can lose the whole plant.
Reproduction: seeds that are sown when growing seedlings in semi-warm greenhouses in March-April. Seedlings appear in 15-18 days.
Seedlings dive into pots. They are planted in open ground in early June, maintaining a distance between plants of 30-50 cm.
Usage: in group plantings and mixborders. Grows well in pots and other containers. Attracts butterflies.
In culture since 1733.

Eng.: Mexican Sunflower. Suom.: Titonia. Sven.: Inkakrage. Bot. syn.: Tithonia speciosa (Hook.) Griseb.