Growing sunflowers

  • Space individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart.

  • Before planting, add some general purpose fertilizer to the soil.

  • Deep but less frequent watering will encourage strong stems and deep roots.

  • Harvest for cut flowers in the morning just after they open. For seed harvest, cut the flowers when the bracts begin to shrivel and hang upside down in a shelter. (I leave them in the garden for the birds to harvest!)

    PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
    You can do one of the following:
    1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
    -OR (as I do)-
    2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

Sunflower ‘Mongolian Giant’

Mongolian Giant

Enormous, vibrant yellow flower heads span 18 inches across, towering up to 14 feet tall.
Once the blooms fade, you’ll be rewarded with bushels of edible, huge, 1 ½ inch long seeds. (Territorial Seeds)

Sunflower ‘Red Sun’

Red Sun

Red Sun is our favorite mix for long bloom-time displays in the garden and the vase. Tall, strong plants reach 5 to 8 feet tall with well-branched stems for lots of buds and flowers. You’ll get a variety of blooms from straight yellow to all red, streaked red and yellow and red with a deep corona—all exquisite! (Territorial Seeds)

Sunflower ‘Sunseed’

Sunseed

We recommend Sunseed specifically for its delicious sunflower seeds. It produces an abundance of large kernels that are great for snacking, and can be used for making sunflower oil, too. The earliest maturing variety in its class, Sunseed makes 10–14 inch heads on 4 to 5 foot tall plants. (Territorial Seeds)

Sunflower, Dwarf Mardi Gras blend

Dwarf Mardi Gras blend

Free flowering and multiple branched plants with strong stems produce a beautiful blend full of attractive colors. Grows to 2 to 3 feet tall. (Territorial Seeds)

Sunflower ‘Snack Mix’

Snack Mix

Doubly delightful, this colorful blend of summer’s favorite flower provides a festive display plus a bonus of nutritious munching after the blooms fade. Grows to 5 to 7 feet tall. (Territorial Seeds)