They say “great oaks from little acorns grow”, and the same could be said for sunflowers. With their glorious, gigantic golden faces, some the size of dinner plates, it’s incredible what can be achieved from a tiny seed. Nicola Clements advises on growing sunflowers and recommends some eye-catching and unusual varieties.
Nothing speaks ‘summer’ quite so well as a bunch of sunflowers. When it comes to growing sunflowers, it can be tempting to pick up a few plugs plants from your local garden centre, but growing sunflowers from seed is easy and far more rewarding.
Sunflowers are reliable, hardy annuals. Simple to grow for gardeners of all ages, their sunny spectacle blooms throughout summer, keeping us radiant company until the last remaining days of autumn.
Growing sunflowers: How to grow sunflowers successfully
Follow this easy guide on how to grow sunflowers and care for them too.
How to sow sunflower seeds
- In March, sow individual seeds in a seed tray or 7.5cm pots. Plant to a depth of about 1.5cm using good quality, multi-purpose compost and water the seeds well.
- Position in a cool, bright position indoors and cover with a clear plastic bag or seed tray lid to keep seedlings warm.
- As the seedlings grow in size, transplant them to larger plant pots, nourish with plenty of compost and water regularly.
- In June, once the last frost has passed and the seedlings are around 30cm tall, they are ready to plant out.
How to grow sunflowers
- Plant seedlings straight into the ground in a sunny, sheltered position. The back of a border is ideal.
- Sunflowers thrive in fertile, well-drained soil so mulch the roots and generously apply quality compost and grit to the planting hole. The addition of well-rotted manure will give your sunflowers an added boost.
- Always support your sunflowers by gently tying them to a strong tree stake, rather than a flimsy bamboo garden cane. This is essential for these top-heavy giants.
- Sunflowers can grow well in containers, but you’ll find the tallest are always planted in the ground.
Top tip: For a continuous display of sunflowers, sow a few seeds every couple of weeks. You’ll be rewarded with a chorus of the cheerful flowers from early summer until the end of autumn. This is ideal if you’re planning to use sunflowers in cut flower arrangements.
Caring for sunflowers
Water sunflowers regularly and don’t let them dry out. You can feed sunflower plants weekly to encourage growth before they flower, and a regular top-up of tomato feed will help to keep them strong.
Prone to pests, it’s worth taking the time to protect young sunflower plants from slugs and snails. A dose of wildlife-friendly pellets around the base of the stems will do the trick. Meanwhile, to stave off bugs like sunflower weevils, try spritzing a homemade mix of sunflower oil and water over the stems and flowers.
After flowering
Sunflowers work hard. In addition to bringing glorious colour to gardens throughout summer, their seeds can be harvested for use in cooking or as a healthy treat.
Once sunflowers have finished flowering, snip off the seed heads and leave them to dry in a warm place. Next, rub the seeds from the flower heads and then carefully remove their tough seed coats to enjoy as a snack.
Keep the remaining seeds safe in an old seed packet or envelope, ready to sow the following year. Or, alternatively, you could treat your feathered friends to a feast of seeds on the bird table.
Finally, lift the whole plants from the ground ready for the compost bin.
Recommended sunflower varieties
Think of sunflowers and you’ll immediately imagine gigantic golden flowers with poker straight stems. There is, however, an abundance of unusual varieties that boast flowers in colourful tones of burnt orange, red, pink, white or peach.
- For fête winning flowers, Helianthus annuus ‘American Giant’ can stretch as tall as five metres. It’s sure to win the tallest sunflower prize!
- For making a bold statement, Helianthus annuus ‘Chianti’ is multi-stemmed and has dark, wine red petals tinged with flecks of gold. This variety attracts pollinators too.
- For texture, add Helianthus annuus ‘Teddy Bear’ to the front of borders or pots. This reliable dwarf variety has yolk yellow, pompom flowers that can be sprinkled over summer salads.
- For pretty-as-a-picture petals, you can’t go wrong with Helianthus annuus ‘Ms Mars’. It has vintage-inspired, graduated ruby-red and cream petals that look stunning in cut flower arrangements.
Did you know?
- The tallest sunflower ever recorded reached 30ft and was grown in Germany.
- Young sunflowers are heliotropic, meaning they turn their faces towards the sun.
Nicola Clements works at Haddonstone, purveyors of fine cast stone ornaments handcrafted in England. For more information, please visit haddonstone.com.
