How do I know if my sunflowers are annuals or perennials?

[Maggiethecat]

Didn’t even know that you had perennial ones, just presumed that all of them were annuals. I can’t find my seed packet and I’m presuming that mine are annuals - with big showy type flowers and so it’s okay for me to just pull them out of the ground now?

I didn’t know there were ones perennial either, but if I wasn’t sure about something I would cut them back hard without pulling them up. That way the bit you’ve left can rot back if annual or sprout again if not!

They are annuals. They can self seed so they come up in the same place each year.

Ok, will cut back now!

The perennial ones tend to have multiple stems and small (2.5 inch) flowers.

@Maggiethecat You can leave some of the flower heads on so that birds can eat the seeds over winter. They love them.

You can save seeds if you want more next year.