With bright blooms that go from mid-summer to early fall, sunflowers say “summer” like no other plant. Our Sunflower Growing Guide covers everything from planting to cutting flowers to harvesting seeds!
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant with a large daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”). The flowers come in many colors (yellow, red, orange, maroon, brown) but they are commonly bright yellow with brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds.
Here and yonder, high and low,
Goldenrod and sunflowers glow.
–Robert Kelley Weeks (1840–76)
How Long Do Sunflowers Take to Bloom?
A fairly fast-growing flower, most sunflower varieties mature in only 85 to 95 days. The largest sunflower varieties grow to over 16 feet in height, while smaller varieties have been developed for small spaces and containers and rarely grow larger than a foot tall! The flower heads can can reach over 12 inches in diameter within the large seeded varieties.
Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky east to west, and then returns at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun. Heliotropism happens during the earlier stages before the flower grows heavy with seeds.
Very few plants are as heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and simply beautiful. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers and many are attractive to bees and birds.
At the end of the season, it’s easy to harvest sunflower seeds for a tasty snack or for replanting (see instructions below). Learn more about why you should start growing these happy flowers in your garden.
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SUN FLOWERS ARE ANNUALS---THEY BLOOM AND DIE
THE BEST WAY TO HAVE CONTINUOUS BLOOMS IS TO PLANT A VERY SHORT ROW ABOUT EVERY 3 WEEKS TILL MID SEPTEMBER---THE FROST AND FREEZE MAY GET YOUR LATEST PLANTING---BUT IF YOU START IN MARCH AND PLANT EVERY 3 WEEKS YOU WILL HAVE DONE THE BEST YOU COULD TO HAVE BLOOMS ALL SUMMER
Sun love
I really love sunflowers ....and somehow i think they live me too!
sunflowers
my son brought me home a sunflower that he started growing 22 days ago at school when is the best time for me to plsnt it outside and where should i plant it? and i live in florida and my yard is very sandy is that ok?
My son brought me home a
My son brought me home a sunflower too for Mother's Day - I planted mine next to the fence which is sandy also but will receive up to 6-8 hours of sun each day - I'll see in a couple of weeks if it likes where it is - Good Luck & HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
replanting sunflowers
Yes, you may replant from a small container. Sunflowers grow best in full sun. They prefer average to rich soils as they have very deep roots so sandy soils aren't recommended as the sunflowers might get uprooted. Perhaps it would be better to replant in a bigger pot (that's about 16 inches deep) and set in a place where you and your child can enjoy from the window?
Slugs
I have a problem with slugs. Do slugs eat sunflowers?
slugs and sunflowers
Yes, slugs eat sunflowers. There are different ways to get rid of them: Put out shallow containers filled with beer. You'll find drowned slugs in the morning Or, if you can do it, handpicking is effective (in early morning or night with a flashlight!). See our SLUG page for more remedies: http://www.almanac.com/content...
Sunflower
I am planting some new ones this weekend. When I grew Mammoth ones in 2005, they were taller than my mobile home !! You can grow peas as companion plants and the peas will climb up your sunflower stalks. Just be sure to let your sunflowers get a foot tall or more before you plant the peas. Happy gardening.
the sunflower head
watch the head of the sunflower during the course of a bright sunny day and you will see it rotate to face the sun, fascinating.
Beautiful!
Beautiful!
Sunflowers
I am a city girl who has moved to the county. I have always, always wanted sunflowers. I am on my way out to plant them for the first time ever. I hope they survive the efforts of a novice!
sunflowers
as long as you don't plant them to deep or plant them in full shade they should be fine.
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