Sunshine on a stalk - choosing sunflowers to sow

What do you think of when you hear the word sunflower? Many of us will have the image of the tall single headed ‘giant’ which we hoped would break a record! Some will think of seeds, delicious when toasted or bees buzzing round. Greeks thought they looked like the sun hence the name Helianthus while the French call them Tournesol as their heads turn to the sun.

Sunflowers or Helianthus have a wide range of forms from the traditional giant single stem, multi headed varieties, perennials and other edibles such as the Jerusalem artichoke. They also come in a wide variety of colours from dark reds and rusts through to various shades of yellow. You can eat sunflower seeds roasted or sprouted.

They are easy for children to sow as they have seeds that can be easily handled, loved too by flower arrangers for their ability to last as well as just being a generally bright and cheerful addition to the garden and attractive to bees.

Annual Sunflowers

These Helianthus Anuus germinate, flower and set seed in a season. 

Feeling competitive?

Try American Giant, Titan, Kong or Giant Single Sunflowers. These taller varieties can grow up to 4 metres.

Feeling colourful?

Try Claret, Ms Mars,, Ruby Eclipse, Autumn Beauty or Chocolat. 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for sunflowers for cutting?

Many of these are branching varieties of about 100 to 180 cm high.

Vanilla Ice - cream to white, Cherry Rose, Pro-Cut - in shades of peach, plum or red, White Nite and White Lite and the Sunfill range.

Wanting something for a smaller space?

Dwarf varieties such as Little Dorrit, Pacino Gold, Rio Carnival , Bambino Teddy Bear and Desire Red which have been bred for pots and bedding plants.

Perennial Sunflowers

These herbaceous forms of sunflower will die back overwinter and regrow in the spring. Like Jerusalem artichokes they regrow from tubers so can spread and become a problem given suitable conditions. Varieties that can be sown from seed include Helianthus maximiliani.

Tips for growing

• Best started off indoors about 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Plant out after the last frost.
• Sow outside after the last frost.
• They take 2-3 weeks to germinate but will do so at room temperature.
• Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
• If growing taller varieties they will need staking.
• Water regularly so they don’t dry out.
• Use rich compost and feed every fortnight with a tomato feed.

Pray for a sunny summer! They thrive best in a sunny sheltered position. 

The clue is in the name. We can treat them well but they really need a good dose of sunshine to bloom well.