Sunflowers are ray flowers, which means they have multiple, daisy-like petals surrounding a center disk.
Here is a list of 20 noteworthy ray flowers that come in sizes and colors to fit every garden.
Want more gardening tips?
Alex Manders / Getty Images
Plants grow from 12 to 18 inches tall featuring single, semi-double, double, and spider flowers.
Deer don’t like them but you may needrabbit repellent.
Native in much of North America, it features bright yellow ray petals surrounding an orangish-yellow center disk.
Anucha Muphasa / 500px / Getty Images
Plants grow from 3 to 6 feet tall and naturalize in meadows and along woodland edges.
This easy-to-grow native is deer and rabbit-resistant.
This native is found across middle North America with sunny, orangish-yellow petals around dark brown centers.
DEA / C.DELU / Getty Images
Golden Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.)
Native to North America, they range from 12-inch dwarf types to the giantCoreopsis tripterisat 6 feet tall.
Stake tall varieties and deadhead for continuing blooms.
AYImages / Getty Images
Coreopsis are deer resistant.
Spring through autumn, these plants do plenty of work attracting pollinators, discouraging pests, and improving soil.
Prolific blooms top ferny foliage growing from 2 to 3 feet tall.
Tony Baggett / Getty Images
Once established, golden marguerite practically takes care of itself with drought tolerance and deer resistance.
Hardy Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.)
Anastasiia Bid / Getty Images
In late August garden centers come alive with cheerful, yellow chrysanthemums.
Anastasiia Bid / Getty Images
These autumn bloomers are a staple in home gardens and displays.
Flowers may be single or double with double blooms resembling small versions of the beloved Teddy Bear sunflower.
Pinch early buds for an impressive autumn showing.
McKinneMike / Getty Images
Deer are attracted to mums, so interplant them withdeer-resistant flowers and herbs.
Mostly grown as annuals in the U.S., several varieties are available including dwarf sizes suited to container growing.
They attract beneficial pollinators with the added bonus of being deer-resistant.
Wirestock / Getty Images
Yellow coneflowers most resemble sunflowers with bright yellow petals and signature raised button centers.
They join purple and orange coneflowers as plants native to much of North America.
Easy to grow, coneflowers are drought-tolerant and deer resistant.
Nicola Patterson / Getty Images
This long-lived native grows from 3- to 6-foot tall and features sunflower-like blooms with green centers.
Foliage orients in a north or south direction giving the plant its name.
Deer steer clear of this native but bees and butterflies love it.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
An undemanding plant, sneezeweeds are avoided by deer, rabbit and many other pests.
Small cups form where stems connect to the main trunk supplying a drink of water for birds and insects.
Trouble-free plants grow to 36 inches tall with a 12- to 24-inch spreadperfect for containers or flowerbeds.
sassy1902 / Getty Images
These heat-loving plants stand up to summer temperatures and are deer and rabbit-resistant.
They bloom from May through September on lightly fragrant stems.
Edible flowers add a peppery flavor to salads, soups, and stews but deer avoid them.
BasieB / Getty Images
Save seeds for new identical plants next year.
Easy to grow, gazanias bloom spring through autumn, closing at night.
Butterflies love them but deer stay away.
DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY / Getty Images
Flowers are single or semi-double with raised yellow button centers and narrow petals with a delicate, frilly appearance.
Deer avoid this plant which is also toxic to humans and pets.
Often called sunchokes, plants grow from 6 to 10 feet tall and spread easily.
Michael Davis / Getty Images
Deer won’t bother the tubers but may clip the flowers and tops of the plants.
Native to the eastern United States, plants feature spiny foliage unappetizing to deer.
Note that other native hawkweed species, including orange and meadow hawkweeds, are considered invasive in some states.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Goldenglow blooms from mid-summer into autumn attracting butterflies but deer avoid it.
Check with your local extension office before planting this one as it is considered invasive in some areas.
The tall (to 7 feet) plants are topped by substantial flowers with slightly recurved, yellow petals.
Rosemary Wirz / Getty Images
Whorled rosinweed tolerates clay soils and blooms from July to September.
Sunny yellow flowers appear in clumps atop 3- to 4-foot stems from July to October.
This hardy, easy-to-grow native plant attracts many species of bees but the bitter foliage discourages deer and rabbits.
yuji chen / Getty Images
Leopard’s Bane (Doronicum orientale).
Rotary Botanical Gardens
“B” Rated Weeds.Oregon Government
Rudbeckia laciniata.CABI Digital Library
wbritten / Getty Images
Gerald Corsi / Getty Images
