I haven't grown the plant but found this publication; it includes info on growing from seed:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/stpmcrb11967.pdf

juneroses Z9a Cntrl Fl, Thank you so much for taking time to share this with me. There is no mention of the seed needing a cold treatment; says it can be planted spring or fall so I'm going to take that to mean no cold stratification is required for germination! :-)

I am hoping the plant, with good watering practice and growing in good soil, will produce a small, nice looking butterfly garden plant that will bloom throughout the summer, unlike the mexican sunflower that takes so long to begin blooming. Plus, it is a perennial so it should come back each year. Now to get some seed germinated.

My thanks again for your assistance. Gardeners are the nicest people!

Mary

I've tried it by direct sowing twice, and had absolutely no luck. If you get it going, I want some seed Mary (where have you heard that before?)

Danny, you will be welcome to seed if I can get something going with these little sunflowers. Keeping fingers crossed for a plant or two to evaluate this season. The information on this little sunflower says it blooms April through October. Now I'm guessing that would be in it's native area but even here, I'd hope to see blooms by late May, early June with an established plant if it is an early bloomer. Also don't know if blooms can be expected the first season. Here's hoping.

Have you ever seen one of these sunflower plants in person?

How's your milkweed seed doing? My little experimental pot, so far, has only the two germinated seedlings out of the five seed planted.

I'm also trying to germinate Standing Cypress. Accidentally knocked over the germination pot so sprinkled some more seed on the top of the rescued potting mix and spritzed all again with room temp water. The seed information says it can take 2-3 weeks for germination so I'm just waiting. If I hadn't been so clumsy I might be seeing some seedlings already. On the other hand, I don't know if I'm supposed to dampen the seed, then leave it be or to continue to spritz the potting mix until germination occurs. I also sprinkled some seed in a bit of roughed up soil outside where I'd like to grow this plant but between the pair of doves who busy themselves in my garden and the rain storms, I doubt any seed remain.

Did you catch any of that storm moving out of Oklahoma and Texas yesterday? We got lucky here. I moved everything in pots into the greenhouse, fearing hail, but we only got a bit of rain. Hope you escaped the worst of it, too.

Mary

No, I've never seen one. I understand it flowers in it's first year though.

Mine has 4 just sprouted in the last few days. They look stronger than most new born milkweeds.

Everything here has been totally squishy for at least a week and it keeps raining.