Perennial Sunflower Seeds

Perennial Varieties of Sunflower

• Perennial varieties make up more than half of the 50 types of sunflower that grow in the United States. Perennial varieties are distinguished by their roots. While annual roots are thin and stringy, perennial roots form tubers for food storage. The Jerusalem artichoke tuber is an example of a perennial sunflower root. Jerusalem artichoke is the most well-known perennial sunflower. Other varieties include Italian white, teddy bear and Maximilian's Sunflower.

Planting Perennial Sunflower Seeds

• Perennial sunflower seeds planted in the spring will bloom in the late summer or early fall of the following year. Transplanted seedlings will flower the same year. Make sure to choose a permanent location for these flowers, as they will come back year after year. Be prepared to thin the plants, unless you have plenty of room for spreading. If you plant Jerusalem artichoke, the edible tubers are a good reason to thin the plants each fall.

Harvesting the Seeds

• Sunflowers produce huge flowers that each contain multitudes of seeds. To harvest these seeds, cut the flower heads off when the flowers start to dry up. Put the heads into paper bags and allow to dry completely before removing the seeds. Some sunflowers may be left on their stalks to dry up and provide food for birds. If you keep chickens, you can put the whole head in their pen and let them pick the seeds out themselves.

Propogating Perennial Sunflowers

• Perennial sunflowers may be grown from seed or by transplanting seedlings. If grown from seed, they will not flower until the following season. They should be planted in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Perennial sunflowers will grow too tall if over-fertilized and be unable to hold up their flowers. Mix a 12-4-6 fertilizer into the soil when transplanting new or divided perennial sunflower plants, but do not offer extra feeding through the season. Perennial sunflowers need lots of space, but they draw pollinators, such as birds and bees, to your garden and are very beneficial.