The North Carolina Museum of Art has an incredible Art Park that is free and open to the public from dusk to dawn. It is beautiful at sunset!

Sunflowers in the middle of Raleigh

Thanks to the creative team at the NC Museum of Art we had an inspiring display of sunflowers to enjoy. To say this was a treat to observe is truly an understatement. This FREE and open to the public space was brimming with life, both botanical and animal. Butterflies, birds, and bees buzzed about, intoxicated from the abundance of nectar and seed provided in the simple, yet over-the-top planting. And of course people, camera in hand, posed for the perfect social media blast, myself included!

Finding inspiration from spaces across the globe has always been a priority for me. I love touring private and public gardens, as well as seeing horticulture in urban centers and small towns. It has been one of the things I have missed most in 2020, as so much of what I do in my home foodscape is a direct reflection of the places I explore.

I visited the NCMA twice in one week thanks to the sunflower field. My first visit was on a cool(ish) grey afternoon and the blooms were still very immature. I planned my second visit based off the weather report. With ONE clear evening for the entire week I made it a priority to drive up to Raleigh with my “real” camera full charged! Maybe the weather Gods would cooperate a sunset could be enjoyed…

I was rewarded for my planning with the best sunset that I have seen all summer!

Finding and Applying Inspiration

“How can I take this concept and apply it to my own garden?” That is a question I frequently ask myself. Take notes and photos so you can look back and reflect on the plantings and the site conditions. This information will help guide you season after season for success!

At the top of my list were two simple plants that have escaped my 2020 inventory: cosmos and zinnias! This understory layer enhanced the art park planting in a major way and now I know, I cannot live a happy life until I have incorporated both of these into my home plantings!

Sunny Sunflowers

Helianthus annuus, also known as sunflowers, is an annual plant with a large daisy-like flower face. It is in the Asteraceae plant family, just like daisies, coneflowers, and other composite-type flowers. The scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”).

Traditional sunflowers are bright yellow with brown centers that ripen into heavy heads, filled with seeds that birds love! My favorite traditional form is called ‘Mammoth Grey’ as the plants grow tall and the seeds are abundant.

Sunflowers actually come in many different colors, including yellow, red, orange, maroon, and brown. ‘Evening Sun’ is an elegant multi-colored bloom with a striking maroon-to-yellow coloration. They also come in various petal forms, like fringy or extra long. ‘Teddy Bear’ is one of my all-time favorite selections with an unusual petal formation.

Once you start diving into seed catalogs you discover just how diverse this cheery summer flower can be, and if you are anything like me, you won’t be satisfied with just one variety!

Check out the amazing selection that Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds offers!

How to grow Sunflowers

Sunflowers are true WARM SEASON ANNUALS, meaning they are sensitive to cold and prefer to grow in soil that is at least 50°F. It’s best to sow sunflower seeds directly- either in the garden or a dwarf variety in containers- after your last frost date. For me, I start sowing sunflower seeds in mid-May and continue to plant them every other week through mid-July. This practice ensures I have sunflowers blooming for several week, or months!

As their name indicates, sunflowers prefer FULL SUN and well draining soil, rich in organic matter. I always top dress my planting areas with Soil3 organic compost to ensure the root system will thrive and I won’t have to add fertilizer or water excessively through the growing season.

It is important to note a few things about sunflowers:

They do not like compact soil because they have long tap roots. I recommend doing a cover crop of Daikon Radish if you have heavy, compacted soil. This will help loosen and enrich your dirt and enable you to grow more successfully.
Sunflowers thrive in slightly acidic to somewhat alkaline soil (pH 6.0 to 7.5). This means NEUTRAL, but I have no trouble growing sunflowers in my 5.4 pH.
Sunflowers grow really big, at least the non-dwarf varieties do. That means they will use nutrients and water. Just remember that happy plants come from HEALTHY SOIL. Again, this is why I use Soil3.
Plant sunflowers in a spot that is sheltered from strong winds, perhaps along a fence or near a building. Larger varieties may become top-heavy and a strong wind can be devastating. This is especially true for those of us living where late summer hurricanes influence our gardens.

The mature sunflowers face east, but immature blooms follow the sun as it moves through the sky. This is known as heliotropism.

What is Heliotropism?

This fascinating phenomenon of flowers following the sun across the sky is called heliotropism. In sunflowers, and most other plants, it is the young flowers that move with the sun. Before the break of dawn, a young sunflower faces East, towards the direction of the sunrise. As the sun moves from across the sky the flower turns westward. And when the sun sets, the flower reverts back to its original position, facing east, to begin the cycle again the next day. That is until the blooms mature and they are sturdy in their EAST FACING stature.

How to sow Sunflower Seed

Sunflowers should be planted about 1” deep and at least 6 inches apart after the soil has thoroughly warmed. My method is simple- using my hand mattock “the groundhog” I dig a small hole every 15” along a border. Then I drop 1 seed into each hole and rake over to smooth the soil. I add a light dusting of Plant-Tone Organic fertilizer and turn on a sprinkler, if rain isn’t in the forecast.

As I mentioned above, I sow my sunflowers in succession to increase the bloom time. Remember that every seed you sow on any given day is likely to bloom at the same time. This is great because they make a huge impact, but it is short-lived. Succession planting over a period of 2 months will make a big difference and keep your garden looking extra sunny and delicious for the birds!

Sunflowers are great to mix with a wide varieties plants, including other warm season annuals like okra, pumpkins and sorghum.

Companion Planting

Just like the planting at the NC Museum of Art, pairing your sunflowers with other plants will make your display more dynamic. Most sunflowers grow tall, and straight up, so planting an understory to hide the “bare legs” is a good plan. You can also seed sunflowers into sunny perennial or shrub borders, recognizing these permanent plantings will fill in over the course of the summer providing a lush backdrop. Iris, Hibiscus, Monarda, Phlox, Salvia and Sedum and just a few perennials that pair well with sunflowers.

Some of my favorite summer edible and flowering annuals companions include:

Coleus Cosmos Marigolds Okra Pumpkins Sesame Sorghum Zinnia

Sunflower Maintenance

In the first few weeks of development, keep the soil evenly moist to ensure the sunflower seedlings establish well. Once the plants are 12-15” tall, plan to water them deeply but infrequently, as this practice will encourage the best root system. This is actually GREAT advice for ALL of your plants. Unless the weather is exceptionally dry or wet (like this summer has been for me) plan to water once a week.

Sunflowers do not require a ton of fertilizer. In fact overfertilization can cause stems to break. I fertilize when I sow the seed with Plant-Tone and that is it! If you notice the foliage is not dark green, water with fish emulsion.

Some of the tall varieties, like my standard ‘Mammoth’ may require support, though I never go out of my way to add posts to my plants. I sort of garden with the approach of “may the strongest survive” and if a sunflower flops over I cut it down and move on. But bamboo stakes are a good choice for any plant that has a strong, single stem and needs support for a short period of time.

Sunflowers along my south facing fence would be easy to stake, if necessary.

Common Pests & Diseases

No surprise that the top two pests of sunflowers are squirrels and deer. Technically birds could be on the top of this list, but since I grow sunflowers with the purpose of feeding the birds, they don’t count as a “pest” in my opinion.

If deer and squirrels are wreaking havoc my first recommendation it to spray with I Must Garden repellent.

You may also consider putting up a temporary fence, like we do with cattle panels.

Sunflowers have the benefit of being relatively pest-free. I have seen a gray moth lay eggs in the blooms, and the caterpillars can damage the flowers, but that is easily remedied with a an application of Bacillus thuringiensis (BT).

Downy Mildew, Rust and Powdery Mildew are the main diseases that impact sunflowers. These are often caused my high night temperatures and humidity, two things that you have NO CONTROL OVER! I have almost grown immune to noticing things like this because there is really no avoiding it in the southeast. The good thing is, sunflowers are annuals and they are going to die in a short time period anyway. Yes, I realize this is not providing you a solution, but my advice is to take environmentally caused diseases with a grain of salt.

Pollinators

Pollinators are a driving force behind all of my plant selections in the foodscape. In the case of sunflowers, there is no end to the diversity of insects that love the nectar from these ray flowers. Butterflies, bees, moths, wasps, flies- basically every insect benefits from the glorious sunflower!

Bringing the cheer inside

I love cut flowers, and have made it a mission to never buy them from the store. After all, I am a gardener and I can grow my own! Sunflowers are the quintessential sign of summer and having a bouquet on your dining table is an easy way to add cheerful elegance.

For indoor bouquets, cut the main stem just before its flower bud has a chance to open to encourage side blooms to develop. It is recommended that you cut in the early morning as harvesting flowers during heat of the day may lead to wilting.

Handle the sunflowers gently and the blooms will last longer. Expect them to live about a week in normal room temperature conditions. Be sure to use a tall, sturdy vase as sunflowers are heavy and can easily topple over a vessel that is too small. Another trick is to place your vase on a large plate, because the sunflowers will shed pollen and petals. This is just an easy way to keep up with the mess.

As for water, it is recommended that you change it daily. I NEVER DO THAT. I have learned to not fill the vase too high- the stem only need water to cover about 2” deep. By keeping your water level low it won’t get “funky’ as quickly which means less maintenance for you.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to hear a presentation from a cut flower expert, who recommended adding Sprite or 7-Up to your arrangements. The citric acid and caffeine both play a role in extending the lifespan of cut blooms. I haven’t tried this specifically with sunflower bouquets but I have noticed a big difference with roses.

Harvesting and Saving the Seed

Collecting seed from my garden is a top priority every season, because I want to make sure I keep my gardening costs low. Gathering sunflower seed should be easy, but there are actually a number of things that can go wrong- yes, I am talking from experience here!

The first step is to allow the seeds to ripen on the stem until the back of the head turns brown, the foliage turns yellow, the petals die down, and the seeds look plump and somewhat loose. The trouble here is that this is also the ideal stage for birds and squirrels to devour the seed. If you are really determined, you can put a mesh bag over the seed head to ensure that the animals can’t get to your seed.

Since no rational gardener would ever grow JUST ONE SUNFLOWER, I think it is fair to share some seed with the animals that live in your garden. This year I plan to bag one head and give the rest of the ripe seeds to nature. Besides, one mammoth sunflower can produce 500 seeds!

Another option is to cut the flower head early and hang them upside down until the seeds are dry. You need to do this someplace with good airflow and low humidity- like inside your house. In the past I tried this in an open ended metal shelter and the seed heads molded from humidity and birds, mice, and squirrels ended up eating all the seed before they were dry.

To harvest the ripe seed simply snip the head off the stem and rub your hand over the seeded area and pull them off dropping them into a bucket or bowl. Then rinse sunflower seeds before laying out them out to dry for several hours in bright light.

I stash my seed in used Talente Gelato containers, because it is airtight and fits into my refrigerator. The most important aspects of seed storage is COOL, DRY and DARK. That is why a refrigerator is the ideal location for long-term storage.

Sunflowers are Fun

We could all use a dose of fun, right? Sunflowers are easy to grow and provide so much joy. There really is no other plant that can compare! From watching the seed germinate to feeding my local birds, there is no element in the development of a sunflower that doesn’t provide me with fascination and wonder. I hope you will be inspired to sow some seed and experience this same joy next season and for years to come!