My Blooming Sunflowers
Many of you have commented on how eager you are to see our bed of sunflowers in bloom. They're now open - with their big daisy-like faces and brightly colored petals.
If you recall, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted 12-rows of sunflowers, Helianthus, back in July. The bed is located behind my main greenhouse not far from my berry bushes. Sunflowers are the popular and cheerful annuals whose giant, round flower heads look like the sun. Sunflowers come in vibrant yellow, but they're also seen in orange, red, bronze and even white.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This year, we selected a collection of beautiful big sunflowers to plant next to our growing crop of winter squash behind my main greenhouse. Sunflowers commonly bloom during summer and a portion of fall. These opened over the last week.
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- Young sunflowers turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky. They face east at dawn and then slowly turn west as the sun moves. During the night, they slowly turn back east to begin the cycle again. This is known as heliotropism and is due to the presence of auxin, a growth hormone in the stem. This process continues until the sunflower is mature.
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- Several of these sunflowers are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a source I’ve used for many years. This is ‘Sunbright Supreme’, which has slightly rounded petals and shorter, more rigid stems. The large blooms of ‘Sunbright Supreme’ are excellent for bouquets.
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- ‘Sunrich Gold’ has golden yellow petals surrounding bright yellow-green disks. These have four to six inch blooms and are great for use as cut flowers.
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- Sunflower is the only flower with flower in its name. “Helia” for sun and “anthus” for flower. Sunflowers are also the symbol of faith, loyalty and adoration.
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- Sunflowers have different colored petals, but their centers also vary in different shades. The center of this sunflower is a light colored yellow and green.
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- We planted more classic yellow sunflowers as well as the more unusual bronze to red colored sunflowers. All of them look so pretty in the garden.
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- Native to North America, sunflowers are heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and easy to grow.
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- ‘ProCut® Plum’ has muted plum-to-cream bicolor blooms. These flowers are tall, single-stemmed plants with three to four inch pollenless blooms.
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- Sunflowers have long tap roots that need to stretch out, so the plants prefer well-dug, loose, well-draining soil.
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- Sunflowers are also heavy feeders so the soil needs to be nutrient-rich with organic matter or composted manure.
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- ‘ProCut® White Nite’ is a new variety from Johnny’s. These flowers have creamy pale-yellow, almost white petals on dark centers.
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- As many of you know, I always seek out the most unique varieties, especially when I travel. I bought these Vilmorin sunflower seeds earlier last year during a trip to Paris with my daughter and grandchildren.
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- Another variety I purchased in France is this ‘Tournesol Rouge’ – bright red sunflowers.
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- Sunflower leaves can grow up to six-inches long and two-and-a-half inches wide, tapering to a pointed tip.
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- The leaf base is rounded and tapers abruptly to a short “winged” leaf stem. Sunflower stems are also quite sturdy, but if possible, plant seeds in a spot that is sheltered from strong winds.
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- The flower buds on ‘Strawberry blonde’ sunflowers are edible – they can be fried and the petals used as a garnish in salads and desserts; the flavor is bittersweet.
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- These bold ‘Red Hedge’ sunflowers will open soon and are sure to stand out so beautifully in the garden with their deep burgundy red colored blooms.
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- ‘Vincent®s Choice’ sunflowers have round, overlapping petals that form sturdy flower heads.
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- The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, and is the state flower of Kansas. Oil of sunflower is rich in minerals like calcium and iron and contains vitamin A and Vitamin D.
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- You can plant annual sunflowers in almost every plant hardiness zone, as long as your garden gets full sun. What sunflowers are growing in your area? Share your comments on these joyful flowers in the section below.
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