Description

The bush sunflower grows in coastal and interior coastal settings from San Luis Obispo County south into Baja. It grows as a rounded shrub to about six feet with dense, arrowhead shaped leaves. It is covered in spring and - more sparsely – in the summer with large yellow flowers. The ‘El Dorado’ selection flowers more abundantly and the flowers are somewhat larger. The bush sunflower should be grown in a sunny, well-draining location and should receive little water once established. It is a great companion plant for plants that require summer dryness. Ceanothus are a great choice for this reason, but also for the wonderful contrasting flower colors of blue with yellow. The taller form of Ceanothus ‘Joyce Coulter’ is one good choice since it blooms at the same time as ‘El Dorado’ and grows to about the same height.