“Sunflowers end up facing the sun, but they go through a lot of dirt to find their way there.” — J.R. Rim.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.” — Helen Keller.

“I want to be like a sunflower so that even on the darkest days I will stand tall and find the sunlight.” Unknown. “If roses tried to be sunflowers, they would lose their beauty; and if sunflowers tried to be roses, they would lose their strength.” — Matshona Dhliwayo. 

“True friends are like bright sunflowers that never fade away, even over distance and time.” — Marie Williams Johnstone.

August is here! So let’s talk sunflowers. The sunflower is one of the most popular genera of flowers to grow in your garden. Sunflowers originated in the Americas and domestic seeds dating back to 2100 BC have been found in Mexico. Native Americans grew sunflowers as a crop, and explorers eventually brought the flowers to Europe in the 1500s. Over the next few centuries, sunflowers became increasingly popular on the European and Asian continent, with Russian farmers growing over 2 million acres in the early 19th century (most of which was used to manufacture sunflower oil).

Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh famously painted a world-renowned still-life series of sunflowers. His sunflower paintings are so famous, the Van Gogh museum has teamed up with the breeder of Sunrich sunflowers to create the “Sunrich-Van Gogh’s Favorite” label of sunflowers.

Sunflowers can be annual (Helianthus annuus) or perennial (Helianthus maximiliani), but most modern sunflowers are annuals. Single stem sunflower varieties are best for high-density plantings and produce consistently beautiful flowers on tall stems. Succession planting will be needed for continuous “Year of the Sunflower” blooms throughout the season. Branching varieties produce flowers on multiple shorter stems throughout the season, which makes them ideal for sunflowers all season long. Single stem sunflowers include ProCut® Series, Sunrich™ Series, and Vincent® Series. The branching sunflowers include Autumn Beauty Mix, Soraya (All-America Selection Winner), SunBuzz, Suncredible®, Sunfinity™, SunBelievable™.

Many modern sunflower varieties are bred to be male sterile, or pollen-free, to help foster extended vase life and a nice, clean appearance. These also keep your table clean from pollen! The pollen-free varieties include Moulin Rouge, ProCut Series, Sunbuzz, Sunrich Series, and Vincent Series and the pollen varieties include Soraya (AAS Winner), Ring of Fire (AAS Winner), and Valentine.

Another way to distinguish sunflowers is by their height and size. Smaller, ornamental sunflower varieties, such as the Sunrich or ProCut series are only a few feet tall, while American Giant Sunflowers can grow to be 15+ feet. Depending on their height, the size of the flower will also change with larger flowers on the taller varieties. Some varieties have been bred to produce large, edible seeds that are great for snacking. The seeds are ready to harvest once the petals have withered and the seeds can be seen.

Sunflower seeds can be direct sown after the risk of frost has passed or started indoors. Seeds should be sown ¼” to ½” deep and kept moist. Taller, larger sunflower varieties have a large taproot to keep them rooted and do not do well when they are transplanted so direct sowing of those varieties is recommended. Choose a site, or a container, in full sun, with average fertility and good drainage.

If you’re growing sunflowers for cuts, here are some recommendations to extend the vase life of your flower. Cut when the petals or ray flowers just begin to open, before they have opened off the disc completely. It is recommended to cut in the early morning before the heat of the day. Remove the leaves below the water line and place in freshwater or properly measured fresh flower food solution. Check water regularly since sunflowers are heavy drinkers and can empty a bucket or vase overnight. Change water daily because sunflowers have what some call a dirty stem, as the water quickly turns cloudy with potential for bacterial issues. Edible seed types include Feed The Birds, Mongolian Giant, Skyscraper, Super Snack Mix, and Titan. The tall types include American Giant, Kong, Mammoth, and Sunforest. And the dwarf types include Smiley, Sunbuzz, Suntastic, Teddy Bear, and Suntastic Yellow with Black Center (AAS Winner). Enjoy sunflowering!

This Year of the Sunflower fact sheet is provided as an educational service of the National Garden Bureau at ngb.org/year-of-the-sunflower.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” — Isaiah 43:2-3. 

“”Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” — Matthew 7:3-5. 

“For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” — Psalm 30:5.

Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle @yahoo.com.