‘Sunbelievable™’ features:
- Very floriferous and free-flowering
- Stunning bicolour blooms
- Multi-branching
- 1,000 flowers over the growing season
- Fabulous cut flower
- Hugely decorative patio plant
- Truly compact – Height: 60cm (24in) Spread: 100cm (39in)
- Day length neutral – blooms even on shorter, less bright days
- Sterile – so no pollen but still very attractive to bees
- Heat tolerant – great for hot, sunny borders
- Thrives in any well-drained soil
- Will recover quickly if left to dry out
- Deadheading improves flowering performance
Today we’re launching our latest world exclusive plant breeding success. Sunbelievable™ is a truly phenomenal new sunflower. Like no other sunflower, Sunbelievable™ flowers continuously from June until the first frosts. In trials, plants were still blooming in late November. Incredibly, over 1,000 flowers are produced on each plant during the growing season!
Paul Masters, T&M’s Head of Horticulture, said:
“Sunbelievable™ is an amazing breakthrough in decorative plants for the garden in an area that has been distinctly lacking in innovation in previous years. We expect this fabulous new sunflower to make a real impact in people’s gardens – its non-stop blooming will appeal to sunflower lovers and gardeners everywhere.”
Set to create quite a media buzz, Sunbelieveable™ is the product of eight years of work by our breeding team. Head plant breeder, Charles Valin’s vision was to breed a sunflower that was long-flowered and which could be used and enjoyed as a bedding plant as well as in containers.
Charles comments:
“I was always disappointed by the garden performance of traditional pot sunflowers. I’ve crossed the very best with the very best to really boost the plant’s performance. I still can’t believe how many flowers this plant can produce! I also realised that it was the energy that the plant put into setting seed that was preventing it from flowering for long. So I aimed to create a new hybrid that would not set seed and would therefore carry on flowering all summer long.”
Sunbelievable™ is available exclusively from our website for delivery from April 2018. £14.99 for a 9cm potted plant or £19.99 for two 9cm potted plants (saving £9.99).
For more advice on sowing and growing sunflowers, visit our hub – a one stop shop for everything you need to know about growing these gorgeous showy annuals.
Sonia works at Thompson & Morgan in the role of press and communications officer. She is a self-proclaimed ‘reluctant’ gardener and is generally amazed if anything flourishes in her garden. Sonia has a ‘hands off’ approach to gardening and believes that this helps to encourage bees, butterflies and other wildlife. (That’s her excuse anyway!)
I bought the sun believable 3 plants in 9cm pots from qvc took 2
0 days from leaving Thompson and morgan for me to receive them hence to say all dead very disappointed
Hello
I’m sorry to hear that your plants were damaged. I have passed your comment and email address to our customer care team for their attention.
All the best
Sue
I’m so disappointed with these plants. I ordered two in June, they eventually arrived after a month or so, one very small and the other is tiny. I’ve potted them on and although they are growing they are nowhere near ready to flower. I will be lucky if the larger one flowers before September and I doubt the smaller one will produce anything before the frost. At £14.99 + postage it’s quite a let down
Hello
I’m sorry to hear this. I have passed on your comments to our customer care department.
All the best
Sue
If this is sterile, and doesn’t produce seeds, then presumably it doesnt produce pollen or nectar?
Surely that is very bad for bees and other beneficial insects?
Hi Chris, I can see why you would be concerned about this as pollinators are essential for gardens and we are reliant on them for much of our food production. However, sterility is not necessarily associated with a lack of nectar production. Indeed, many sterile plants will still produce plenty of nectar. From our own experience, we see a lot of insects visiting these sunflowers so it seems that they do provide some nectar.
All the best
Sue
is this available to buy in BC Canada? my sister saw mine if it is where can she get one thanks
Hi Pauline. Thanks for your question – unfortunately it wouldn’t be available from us in Canada.
Hi there, how do I get a cutting from this beauties?
My Sunbelievable has been a joy . I understand it needs to be protected from the frost . What is the best way to do this . Thank you .
Hello. Im glad to hear that you have enjoyed your Sunbelievable this year. They really are magnificent, aren’t they! Unfortunately these plants are annuals and therfore they complete their entire life cycle in just one growing season. This means that after flowering they will sadly die. You are quite correct that they do need protection from particularly cold weather early on in their growth cycle, such as a late spring frost.
All the best
Sue
This needs to be stated on the description before people buy.
Thanks for your comment – it’s a good point! We have now updated the product description to make it clear that this is a half-hardy annual.
I have had the most amazing results from the miniature sun flowers hundreds of flowers and survived the extreme heat we have had this year are they perrenial if so do l just cut them when they have finished flowering the best plants l have ever bought from you thank you
Have received the plant which looks in great condition. I was wondering whether it would survive in a cold frame during the winter?
Hi Mike. Glad your plant is looking good. Sunbelievable plants are frost tender so you will need to keep it in a frost free position. A cold frame might not be quite warm enough during the winter. If you have a heated greenhouse or even a frost free porch then this would be a safer bet.
All the best
Sue
If the plant does not flower year after year what is the point of bringing them in over the winter?
Hi Andy. There is no need to bring annuals in over winter as they will die at the end of summer (after flowering) anyway. Annuals complete their entire life cycle in the space of a single growing season, so save your greenhouse space for those tender shrubs and perennials that will continue to grow next year. Where we refer to Half-hardy annuals on the website, it is important to recognise that early in the growing season, should there be a late frost, then there may be a risk of losing your plants prematurely. Therefore it is best to offer some protection from late spring frosts.
Best wishes
Sue
Hello it is now August and we have just received are sunflower we have transferd it to a bigger pot were is it best kept now out doors or in a greenhouse as I take it it will flower next year many thanks
Hi Lyndsey, it’ll be fine outside for quite a while as yet, bring it in before the first frosts though and keep it completely frost free.
All the best
Graham
What do I need to do to protect Sunbelievable over the winter
Hi Ivor, it’ll be fine outside for quite a while as yet, bring it in before the first frosts though and keep it completely frost free.
All the best
Graham
How do I over winter sunbelievable sunflower
Hi Peter, it’ll be fine outside for quite a while as yet, bring it in before the first frosts though and keep it completely frost free.
All the best
Graham
My Sunbelievable is still flowering magnificently, as it is semi-hardy if l cover it to protect it over winter will it flower next year?
Hi Laraine
Unfortunately not as this is an annual plant and will naturally die off once the flowering finishes. Enjoy the flowers this year, and pop an order in for some replacement plants for next summer.
All the best
Sue
wish I’d be told that when I bought 3 from you last year they all died, so thought it was something I had done, and now have 4 more in full flower, dont think I shall bother with them again as they aren’t cheap
Hi, I am so looking forward to this arriving. Should I transfer into a larger pot or is the 9cm large enough to keep it going. Thanks Gill
Hi Gillian
I would definitely transfer it to a larger pot so that it can increase its root system and grow!
All the best
Graham
Many thanks
Will you sell seeds in future
Hi Jane,
this is a cutting raised plant so seeds won’t be available I’m afraid.
All the best
Graham
Hi Graham, when deadheading a finished flower (just centre remaining) should I just remove the head itself or cut the stalk away too, down to the next join? It is a very healthy plant with lots of flowers on the way, so I am very happy with it. Thanks in advance.
Hi Andy, I generally remove the stalk down to the next leaf join, the same as I would for a dahlia.
I hope that helps
Graham
Hi There, do you sell the Teddy bear sunflowers as mini plants / potted? and if so when? Thanks a million Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
we don’t sell the Teddy Bears as potted plant, however I sowed some literally last week and they came up in just a few days 🙂 I’ll be transplanting the seedlings this weekend too
All the very best
Graham
To get a display similar to the pictures what size container would you recommend and how many plants per container.
Hi Helen,
that would be in one of our large patio pots. We had them on display in these outside our entrance and they looked amazing
All the best
Graham
Will this plant flower year after year
Hi Norman,
It’s a half hardy annual, so it won’t flower again the following year, however we’re sure you’ll be more than impressed with its performance!
All the best
Graham