Growing Sunflowers
By J. A. Young
Photo: © Dani Simmonds
Due to their variety of size and shape, sunflowers suit any garden space. Sunflowers do best facing south in a sunny spot with well-drained soil—the deeper the better. But sunflowers may even be grown in containers, so a balcony-garden will provide a comfy home for them as well. Keep in mind the height of the variety you choose—very tall varieties may look better against the garage wall than along your garden path.
Sunflowers range in color from golden to red to brown with varying shades of yellow-gold to burnt orange.
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They are beautiful focal points for any garden, but can also be planted as a border or put in the back of a garden to give it some height. Most varieties really take off in late summer just when other flowers are fading so they give your landscape a sunny burst of color.
If you sow them from seeds, the best time to plant is the middle of spring. If you plant young perennials, they should be planted in mid-Autumn or mid-spring. When sowing from seeds, it may be easier for them to germinate in pots kept in a sunny spot. This is especially important to consider for the giant varieties.
Place your seeds about one inch deep. It's safest to keep about two feet between them—three feet for giant sunflowers. Keep some netting handy to detract birds or small animals from digging the tasty seeds up. Then, simply watch and wait for them to poke up and grow.
As your sunflowers grow, tall ones may need to be tied to stakes for support, especially in windy spots. They require only light watering and they don't need constant feeding. These sunny-faced flowers support themselves quite well given adequate conditions. Although they are quite hardy, they do fall prey to pests like mice, squirrels, birds and rabbits and you will have to watch so that they do not develop grey mold or mildew. Various aphids also love a sunflower, but the smell of chives often detracts them. |
