Sunflower
These very tall and showy annuals produce edible seeds.
- The Tall Sungold variety has double golden-yellow flowers that reach about 5 feet tall (1.5 meters).
- All sunflowers will rotate their faces toward the sun as it passes over during the day. Neat!
- Sunflowers need full sun and extra watering, but they aren't fussy about soil type.
- Plant the seeds ½ inch deep (1.3 cm) and 1 foot apart (30 cm).
- Unless they are crowding each other, sunflowers do not need thinning.
- Some varieties of sunflower will reach 15 feet tall (4.6 meters), so be sure to stake them well or tie them to a fence if your garden is windy.
- For showing, pick the best head before the first frosts and make sure the vase you display your sunflower head in doesn't tip over by adding some sterilized gravel for weight.
- After several frosts, the heads will flop over and the seeds will fall to the ground where they will reseed themselves.
- Birds love sunflower seeds and will flock to a garden with sunflowers.
If you want to toast the seeds for a snack:
- Cut off a ripened head and push the seeds off the flower head.
- Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them lightly with salt if you wish.
- Toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
- Keep your eyes on them to make sure they don't burn. Remember they'll be hot when you take them out.
- Let them cool before you open the shells and enjoy the seeds.
Fascinating Facts!
- Sunflowers can grow up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall! That's as tall as a three-story building!
- The sunflower is actually not one flower but a cluster of hundreds of tiny flowers, called florets.
- The sunflower got its name because the yellow petals and brown center resemble the sun.
- The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, USA.
- Sunflowers are not only beautiful, but they are also very useful! Their seeds are used to make cooking oil, animal feed, and even biodiesel fuel.
- Sunflowers are believed to have been cultivated by Native Americans over 4,000 years ago.
- The tallest sunflower on record was grown in Germany and measured 30 feet, 1 inch (9.17 meters) tall!
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