If you love sunflowers and want to add similar flowers that look like sunflowers to your garden, you are at the right place. Grow these sunflower alternatives without any height concerns.
Sunflowers are grown because of their beauty, seeds, and ability to attract natural pollinators. They bloom in the summer and early fall, with yellow petals radiating from a central disk. However, their skyscraper height and tendency to bend in strong winds make them difficult to grow in small spaces and windy conditions. Don’t worry! This guide will list the best sunflower alternatives that offer the same sunkissed charm but in a more manageable size.
Small Flowers that look like Sunflowers
There are many flowers that can replicate the beauty of sunflowers while remaining compact and easy to care for. Let’s explore them one at a time.
1. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
USDA Zones: 3-9
The flowers of black-eyed Susan are strikingly similar to sunflowers, with yellow petals emerging from a central disk. It usually grows between 2 and 3 feet tall, making it perfect for small gardens. This plant blooms from late spring to early fall and prefers partial shade to full sun exposure.
2. Ox-eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
USDA Zones: 4-9
This perennial wildflower is a member of the Asteraceae family and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Its appearance and structure are very similar to those of true sunflowers, but it is low-maintenance, smaller, and has a longer blooming season. It flowers from mid-summer to early fall, and is widely used in prairie-style gardens.
3. Golden tickseed (Coreopsis spp)
USDA Zones: 3-12
Golden tickseed, with its bright green stems and ball-shaped brown buds, has the potential to add a lot of color to any landscape. If you plant it in spring or fall, you will see thread-like plants with shiny green stems and small leaves in 7 to 14 days. This annual resembles sunflowers but is drought-resistant and grows well in small spaces. It naturally attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects.
4. Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)
USDA Zones: 3-8
Golden Marguerite is a perennial daisy native to southern Europe. It grows to only 2 feet tall and has golden ray flowers surrounding a domed cushion of disk florets. Its aromatic quality and compact size make it perfect for various floral arrangements. The plant begins flowering in late May and continues through the summer.
5. Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa)
USDA Zones: 3-9
Yellow coneflowers have bright yellow petals and raised button centers, just like true sunflowers. This plant is closely related to purple coneflower and is incredibly drought-tolerant. It’s drooping yellow petals and low-maintenance nature make it an excellent choice for low-maintenance or pollinator-friendly garden designs.
6. Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)
USDA Zones: 3-9
Compass plant is an exception in this list of compact sunflower alternatives because of its towering height and vertical growing habits. This long-lived perennial (5 to 100 years) has distinctively lobed leaves and can grow to 6 to 12 feet in its natural environment. It is also ecologically significant because its large composite flowers attract a lot of pollinators, and its seeds are eaten by a variety of birds.
7. Autumn Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
USDA Zones: 2-10
Sneezeweed can be grown in soil ranging from average to rich, and it thrives in wet conditions and full sun. It belongs to the Asteraceae family and produces large composite flowers from late summer to fall. The larger flowers are more colorful and resemble petals, whereas the smaller ones are dull yellow and form the center.
8. Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
USDA Zones: 3-9
Silphium perfoliatum is a perennial that can grow to a height of 2.5 meters (8 feet 2 inches). The cup plant has square stems and mostly opposite leaves with cup-shaped bases that hold water. These cups are an important source of water for birds and insects. It blooms in July, and the seeds typically mature in August. This flowering plant is hermaphrodite (has male and female organs) and is pollinated by insects.
9. African Daisy (Gazania)
USDA Zones: 9-11
Gazania (Asteraceae) is an African flowering plant from the daisy family. Its flowers can be bright yellow, red, orange, or even variegated, depending on the species. This sunflower-like plant can be used as a visually appealing ground cover or along the edge of flower gardens. It performs well in poor and sandy soil, making it a popular choice for rock gardens, and borders
10. Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
USDA Zones: 3-9
Often referred to as sunroot or sunchoke, this perennial herbaceous plant is a member of the sunflower family that can be grown both indoors and outdoors. In addition to its striking late-blooming yellow flowers, it is occasionally grown as a vegetable garden crop. Jerusalem artichokes thrive in alkaline soils (7–7.5), but can tolerate most soil types as long as they are well-drained. This dual-purpose plant is a perfect combination of beauty and practicality.
To make informed decisions, check out this comparison chart of various plants’ heights and flowering times:
| Plant | Height | Flowering time |
| Black-eyed Susan | 2-3 feet | Late spring to early fall |
| Ox-eye Sunflower | 3-5 feet | Mid-summer to early fall |
| Golden tickseed | 1-2 feet | Early summer to late summer |
| Golden Marguerite | 1-2 feet | Late spring to summer |
| Yellow Coneflower | 2-3 feet | Early summer to mid-summer |
| Compass Plant | 6-12 feet | Mid-summer to early fall |
| Autumn Sneezeweed | 3-5 feet | Late summer to fall |
| Cup Plant | 5-8 feet | Mid summer to late summer |
| African Daisy | 0.5-1 foot | Spring to fall |
| Jerusalem Artichoke | 6-10 feet | Late summer to fall |
These gorgeous flowers prove that you don’t need skyscraping sunflowers to add a sunny radiance to your growing area.
Now that you know all the best options—from the small black-eyed susan to the eye-catching compass plant—pick the flowers that will work best for the size and design of your garden.
Are you familiar with any of these plants? Which of these sunflower look-alikes will you try this planting season? We would love to hear from you: share your stories, photos, and tips, and let us create a community of gardeners who inspire with their sun-kissed spaces.
