A Guide To Renee's Garden Sunflowers
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We offer a wide range of different sunflower types: several “Jack and the Beanstalk” tall stalks with big sunny-faced single flowers; many midrange border varieties with multiple stems each with a bevy of colorful blooms that are great in bouquets; or shorter varieties for borders and containers. You’ll find sunflowers to fill every part of the garden!
Over the last several decades, multi-branched ornamental sunflowers in a wide range of warm colors have captivated gardeners nationwide. Our affection for these enticing, carefree annuals is reflected in the introduction of many new cultivars, developed worldwide by breeders in Japan, Holland, Germany and the US. Sunflower lovers can choose from pale lemon yellow, rich gold, orange, mahogany, deep red hues, lovely bicolor combinations and single, semi-double and double forms.
Very Tall (9 to 15 Feet Tall) Varieties with Big, Single, Golden-Yellow Flowers:
Midrange (5 to 8 Feet Tall) Best for Bouquets. Multi-Branching Varieties with Clusters of 4-6 Inch Flowers in Many Colors, Lovely Bicolors and Picotee Shades.
- Bright Bandolier F1
- Chocolate Cherry
- Cinnamon Sun
- Garnet Star F1
- High Noon
- Lemon Queen (a particular bee favorite for its copious pollen)
- Moonshadow F1
- Paintbox Bouquet
- Royal Flush F1
- Snack Seed (produces big plump seed kernels for both humans and birds)
- Sun Samba F1
- Sundancer F1
- The Birds & Bees (seed are excellent oil source for birds)
- Valentine
- Van Gogh
Short (2-to 3 Feet Tall) Border Sunflowers
Dwarf (1 to 1 ½ Foot Tall) Branching Sunflowers for Containers
Note: F1 after a variety name = a pollenless hybrid that will not drop pollen on furniture, tablecloths, or clothing, as non-hybrid sunflowers do. F1 pollenless sunflowers also last longer in a vase. They are a good choice if you are going to make bouquets for display. While pollenless sunflowers don’t offer bees pollen, they still provide good source of nectar to feed them and other beneficials.
GROWING SUNFLOWERS
PLEASE: Read your seed packets carefully, as we write our own growing instructions based on gardening experience. Below is a general summary.
Sunflowers are easy and reliable to grow and their big seeds and cheerful blossoms make them good choices for gardening with children. Begin sowing sunflower seeds only when spring weather has warmed up and settled comfortably into the 50° (10°C) range. You can plant directly into the garden in wide rows or big beds in full sun in ordinary garden soil. Important: Plan to make several sowings about 3 weeks apart right up the end of July of for a long succession of bright blooms. Keep seedlings well weeded and watered.
Be sure to: thin or transplant to 10 or 12 inches apart as this gives give young seedlings enough room to mature to full size with sturdy stalks that won’t blow over. If you have extra seedlings from thinning, plant them elsewhere, or share them with friends.
Birds find sunflower seedlings a tempting treat, so protect them with netting or plastic berry baskets at planting time if necessary, removing when plants get crowded. Sunflowers germinate quickly, in a week to 10 days if conditions are warm enough, but if your initial sowing comes up unevenly, fill in with new seeds right away as seedlings catch up easily.
Harvest the jaunty flowers for bouquets but leave some blooms to go to seed as spent flowers form tasty nutritious seed snacks to welcome and delight fall songbirds.
