All You Need to Know About Sunflowers

Sunflowers are arguably the quintessential flower when you think about flower farms. With out them, my farm can feel a little sad.

I’m feeling extra grateful for them this year because the deer have eaten all of our sunflowers, but I found a way to protect them and we finally have some blooming!

Why Sunflowers?

Sunflowers are easy to grow. From the time you plant the seed to the time they are blooming is around 60 days, which is the quickest bloom time in the cut flower world.

Sunflowers make a statement in both the landscape/garden and in the vase. They are also beneficial to butterflies, bees, and birds.

Need to Know:

There are different types of sunflowers for different types of purposes.

Some sunflowers are for seed production (for eating), some are for cutting, some are for landscaping.

Some are pollenless, some have a LOT of pollen. Some are just one stem, some are branching with multiple stems.

Sunflowers also come in a lot of different colors besides just yellow! We’ve got white, red, plum, lemon, deep orange, and green.

The kind that we use on our farm is the Pro-Cut series and the Vincent Series. These come in different colors, they bloom quickly, are single stem and uniform, and are pollenless and won’t leave a mess of pollen on your kitchen counter.

How to Grow:

Sunflowers need fertile soil amended with compost. Try not to just plant them in the pure, hard clay of North Carolina.

Choose a spot with full sun.

Sunflowers can be planted by putting the seed directly into the ground about 1/4-1/2 inch into the soil. I don’t recommend trying to start these inside.

Keep watered and moist constantly until the sprout is a few inches tall, then water a few times a week.

What Kills Them:

Sunflowers need a lot of water. They will die pretty quickly in the early stages of growth if they get too hot and too dry. Once they are a 1-2 feet tall they can take care of themselves pretty dang well.

Deer will absolutely demolish your sunflowers. Plant sunflowers in a spot that is protected from deer by either having a fence around them or covering your plants under insect netting (that’s what I ended up doing).

Birds also like to snack on small seedlings, it can help to keep your seedings covered with either insect netting or even a thin white sheet can help in the first week or two. Just prop it up on poles or sticks so it’s not laying directly on your seedlings.

Where to Buy Seeds:

Hands down the most convenient and easiest way to buy quality sunflower seeds is the website Sunflower Selections.

They have the most variety, and they explain the benefits and uses of each sunflower on their website.

You can also buy seeds from the website Johnnys Selected Seeds.

Often Walmart carries seeds that are probably fine, but likely not the type for cutting.

If you’re local to Mooresville, Brawley Seed Company and Garden Center has some fantastic seeds, though most of their selection is vegetables seeds.

Questions?

If you have any comments or questions about growing your own sunflowers and getting started, be sure to message me! devery@auroraflora.net