Plant of the Month: Tithonia (July 2026)

Being very partial to soft-orange and terracotta-orange coloured flowers, I am delighted that from my kitchen I can enjoy the vibrant, terracotta-orange flowers of the statuesque Tithonia rotundifolia. The flowers are an absolute delight, lighting up my garden at the moment, and, hopefully will do so until October.

I’ve never tried sowing seed of this wonderful variety but I will experiment next year. I spied this plant for sale when visiting one of the lovely gardens open for the Greenwich and Bexley Hospice Open Gardens, held once again in June, to the delight of local residents.

This is the first time I have grown Tithonia in my garden and it is growing fast, so it should reach a spread and height of 4-6 ft, as it has done so in the past on my allotment. So it’s ideal for filling an empty space in a border, especially when Hesperis matronalis (sweet rocket) has been cut down after flowering. I was also tempted to plant an inky-blue salvia in the adjacent spot but deterred from doing so as I just knew it would be crowded out.

Tithonia loves full sun and shelter (provided by the overhead, blue-green foliage and orange berries of Rosa glauca), needs deadheading frequently and liking lots of water at present – not ideal, but this will ease off during maturity, hopefully, when it becomes more drought tolerant.

Tithonia has many properties, one of which being an organic fertiliser. So, in October-November when the plant is spent, I will, hopefully, remember to cut the foliage down to enrich the soil. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the buzz of insects making use of its rich nectar, plus the ‘hot showiness’ it provides my sunny border.

Anna L