Tips on Planting Sunflowers

Select Your Seeds

• Consider how much room you have to grow your sunflowers. The giant varieties are inspiring, but they can also overwhelm a small garden. Be honest with yourself about how much space you have and how much effort you will be able to put in over the course of the growing season. Larger varieties will need staking and more diligent watering and application of fertilizer in order to be their best. Smaller varieties such as teddy bear sunflowers grow more quickly and have soft fuzzy petals. However, they do lack some of the magnificence of their larger cousins. Put them in a front garden where visitors can appreciate them close up. If you are looking for cut flowers, you may want to look for sunflowers that grow somewhere between these two sizes. Check the seed packet to find out how tall the adult plants will be.

Consider the Sun

• In French, sunflowers are called "tournesol" which literally means "turns to the sun." Keep this in mind when you choose the location for your sunflowers. Their bold heads will wave toward the east in the morning and toward the west in the afternoon. Find a place where they will be waving toward you, rather than away. No amount of staking will cause these plants to change their direction. Consider the shade they will create as well. It would be a shame to have magnificent sunflowers only to stunt your other garden plants. Remember also that these are full sun plants. Sunflowers need a lot of space and a lot of sun to grow at their best.

Planting Time

• Sunflowers need to be planted directly into the soil because otherwise their roots can get stunted. Wait until the frost free date, and then wait just a bit longer until the temperature is over 50 degrees F both day and night. Add slow release fertilizer or composted manure to the planting hole by digging it in to a depth of 2 feet. Plant sunflower seeds 1 inch deep in clusters of five to six. These clusters should be 6 to 8 inches apart. Cover the seeds with netting to discourage birds--after all, sunflower seeds are a primary ingredient in birdseed. Watch out for slugs and be ready to add slug bait or slug traps to protect your young sunflowers. Keep the soil moist and apply diluted fertilizer every two weeks. Gradually thin each cluster to one plant in order to get the most impressive sunflowers.