Nothing brightens up my day like a colorful flower and one of the simplest ones to grow is the sunflower! Standing tall in the garden, these sentinels of summer come in a wide range of sizes and colors that I had not realized until I started browsing seed catalogs. A color pallet from bright yellow to red so deep it is almost black and everything in between, single stem or branching, pollenless, three to twelve feet tall; the sunflower selection is overwhelming!
Growing Sunflowers
Thankfully, growing sunflowers is not as difficult as choosing them. Given the right conditions, sunflowers will be showing off 50-90 days from planting. Any sunny spot in the garden with good drainage is an option for this versatile plant. Some people start seeds indoors before temperatures warm up then transplant, but it is quite easy to direct sow into the ground without the extra step. To direct sow, prep the garden by removing any weeds and loosening the soil. Plant seeds according to label instructions (depth and spacing vary slightly by variety), keep watered and fertilize as needed.
Tall varieties may need to be staked, especially if the site is windy. A simple staking method is to use t-posts in the corner of the garden and use a 6”x6” trellis netting horizontally that allows the flowers to grow up through the squares.
Flowering Triggers
Many sunflowers are considered “long-day” plants meaning they naturally grow stems and leaves (vegetative parts) when days are short then bloom as the daylength increases. Long-day sunflowers planted too late may not flower because they fail to mature while days are still long (12+ hours). But don’t despair, there are “day-length-neutral” varieties that will bloom during “short days” if temperatures are warm.
Gardening for Wildlife
In addition to their beauty sunflowers are also a source of nectar and pollen for insects and seed for birds and other wildlife. Even “pollenless” varieties grown for cut flowers offer abundant nectar for insects. Tender new plants and flower buds are sometimes grazed by rabbits and deer, so if those are frequent visitors to your garden you may need to offer protection.
Planning your Planting
Remember to check the mature height of sunflowers before planting. If you are using multiple varieties, put the taller ones in the back so you can enjoy all the flowers. Sunflowers are heliotropic so during the day the flowers will follow the sun. If you want to view them from a particular place and time of day keep that in mind that the flowers move! Consider planting successively – leave space to plant more seeds every couple of weeks so that flowers will keep coming! Sunflowers form thick stems and extensive roots so keep in mind that if you plan to pull them out right after they flower you may disturb other plants in the bed.
If you are interested in the history of sunflowers check out this article, Sunflower- fun-flower!
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