PlantFiles: Sunflower
Helianthus annuus

I grew sunflowers for the first time this year and I was really pleased with the outcome. The advice that I have is to find the spot or spots in your garden that get the most FULL sun during the day and plant the seeds directly in the ground. Water them well in the beginning and they will grow. The seeds that I did not plant in these locations, were stunted and short and a disappointment.

If you want to wow your neighbors, this is the plant to have, especially the giant varieties (mammoth, American giant, Russian mammoth, paul bunyan). If you don't go for height, there are dwarf varieties (sunspot, teddy bear) that offer blooms on less than 3 foot stalks.

Bees buzzed my blooms and then later the cardinals, blue jays and others went wild over the seeds.

Note: the beetles also loved the heads and I had a time picking them off when the beetles were in season.

You can probably grow these plants almost year-round in the warm climates.

I LOVE Sunflowers! I seem to have a issue not growing them. They are all over my yard. Bad soil didn't seem to stop them.

I have over 30 types of sunflowers growing.

Many of them grow past to their full high. I have had them grow well over 12 ft, passing the base of my roof.

I have about 300 growing all over my yard thanks to my twins getting the seeds and putting them into the yard.

Getting seeds are easy and my kids love to pick the seeds out of the flower heads.

So far I have the normal yellow sunflowers, as well as black, green, blond, strawberry blond, red, and many more!

This is a plant with lots of interest in the garden. People always comment on the size and beauty of them. I love to grow them to save the seeds for the birds.

Long-tongued bees are the most important pollinators, including the honeybee, bumblebees, Miner bees, and Leaf-Cutting bees. Halictine bees are important visitors, while visitors of lesser importance include bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle. All of these insects seek nectar primarily. Syrphid flies and other beetles occasionally feed on pollen, but they are usually non-pollinating. Also, many insects feed on foliage and other parts of the Annual Sunflower.Because the seeds are abundant, large-sized, and nutritious, they are an attractive food source to many animals, including upland gamebirds, songbirds, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, and mice. To some extent, the seeds are distributed by these animals. Mammalian herbivores, such as rabbits, ground hogs, and deer, may eat the foliage, particularly from young plants. Muskrats and beavers eat the stems and other parts, or they may use them in the construction of lodges and dams.

The common Sunflower can be as tall as 10 feet and bloom for a long time.
This is the most abundunt sunflower in the state of Texas. It follows fencerows and covers acres of old fields.
This plant was very useful to native peoples as a source of food and fiber for cordage. The seeds are eagerly sought by wild birds and many modern
food products are derived from this plant.
Josephine Keeney. [HYPERLINK@www.texasstar.org]

Large plants traditionally grown for their round, lemon-colored flower heads with dark seed centers. The seed heads are usually 2-3" across, but some varieties reach 12" across. The seeds are edible when roasted; birds will feed on raw seeds year-round.

Newer varieties include pale yellow to creamy-white flowers, and some dwarf varieties. Large-flowered varieties need richer soil.