Height: 12-17 feet
Head Type: generally single-head
Head Diameter: less than 1 foot
Days to Maturity: 80-100 days
Description: This variety was grown by Richard Bott for 24 years, creating an extra tall variety of Russsian Mammoth with strong stems.. If you are trying to go for height, than this is one of the best varieties to grow. This giant is unusual because of it's narrow growth habit, making it suitable for people with little space in their garden.
Where can I find this variety?
2004: This is the first time I've grown Bott's Strain, and all of my plants have grown to 13 feet or better. This is one of the most unusual giant sunflowers that I've seen. They take up much less room than other giant sunflowers, having narrow stalks and small leaves. I'm still amazed at how they are able to stand, even after heavy wind storms. They seem to grow to 13 feet or better even with a small distance between plants. This is great for people that want to grow giant sunflowers, but don't have a lot of space to do it. You can give this plant little to no care and still consistently reach these heights.
(Left) On my right is a 14 foot Bott's Strain sunflower, not yet in bloom. Notice the size difference between the leaves and stalk of the Ripley's Believe It or Not - Giant Sunflower, and the leaves and stalk of the bott's Strain sunflower Picture taken on 7/30/04 in NJ.
