Growing Giant Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a summer staple in the midwest. They're native to the United States, drought-tolerant, and so easy to grow. They're also available in a plethora of options. From the sunny yellows to the jewel-toned, with heads bigger than your own reaching magnificent, soaring heights.

Last year, I decided to try growing them for the first time. I spent some time planning ahead as I shopped for seeds last year, searching for branching varieties of sunflowers that would produce flower after flower for weeks on end. I was enamored with the purples and reds and brilliant deep golds. But, as with pumpkins, I was also drawn to the giants.

Planting Giants

I grabbed a packet of Pike's Peak sunflowers at a farm store over the summer, and as is typically the case, I had no plan for where to plant them. The packet suggested planting the seeds on the north side of the garden so as not to shade the rest of the plants from the sun.

As the sunflowers grew, this advice turned out to be pretty good, the sunflowers offered quite a bit of shade, even spaced as much as they were. I only planted about 13 of the giant sunflowers, because the packet only contained about 25. I worried that if plants got eaten I'd have no seeds left to replace them.

Of these, 11 sprouted in the main garden, protected by rabbit guard fencing. I also tried two outside the protected area for an experiment. I thought a living border would be a beautiful and inexpensive way to create privacy and hide an ugly chain link fence.

Those two did not fare so well. One was eaten by a rabbit in short order. The other was periodically nibbled on by the only garden pest I can give orders to, but it survived. When it finally bloomed, the flower was no bigger than a couple inches from petal to petal, the stalk no higher than two feet. Huey had deprived it of leaf area and in effect cut down on the amount of photosynthesis available to produce a true giant.

None of my sunflowers reached the 14 feet the package suggested they "regularly" reach, but several were 10-12 feet tall. The flower heads began forming well before they reached their full height.

The flowers were frilly and delicate despite their massive size. The pollen spilled out on the leaves as the flowers lured the bees in.

The blooms didn't last long before the petals wilted and fell, leaving a head swelling with seeds. And here's where I learned something new. Sunflowers are actually composite flowers, filled with hundreds of tiny flowers called disk flowers. In order to develop into seeds, each of these flowers have to be pollinated.

Collecting the seeds

After a few weeks the stalks began to yellow and dry. I had worried about squirrels and birds feasting on the heads, but they didn't seem too interested in these flowers, perhaps because they had gorged themselves on the smaller sunflowers.

I covered a couple heads with panty hose, but it turned out to be unnecessary. In all, I ended up with bags and bags of seeds from the 11 successful giants in the garden. I bagged each flower's seeds in separate organza bags like these. They were also useful for protecting the smaller flower heads from birds and squirrels.

The most difficult part of the whole process? (Well, besides cutting through those giant stalks.) Storing sunflower seeds in a cool, dry location all winter so the seeds are viable.

It's safe to say after my first time growing sunflowers, I'm addicted. Because they are so hearty and not picky about water or soil, they're a perfect flower for beginners. They'll build your confidence if you're feeling like you don't have a green thumb. But they'll boost your spirits no matter what your gardening background.

There's plenty of time to get sunflowers. I'm a huge fan of Burpee seeds, and the Pike's Peak variety is a perfect place to start a giant.

Let me know about your sunflower dreams below, and be sure to subscribe to see the second part of this series.